Have a case of analysis paralysis? Here’s how to get unstuck
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, CDCES, MBA
Ever look at a super large menu, or long to-do list and you can’t decide where to start? That’s analysis paralysis. Explore 6 tips to manage it.
Choices, choices, choices. They come for us all and plague our thoughts daily. What do I wear to work today? What should I eat for dinner? Which movie should I suggest we watch at our next girl’s night? We often have so many options that choosing one actually feels impossible. This is a frustrating phenomenon, but, luckily, it has a name — analysis paralysis.
Whether it’s picking a vacation spot, planning a big project at work, or standing in the grocery store aisle wondering which brand of ketchup to buy, many of us find the daily stress of trying to make the “perfect” choices every day overwhelming and exhausting.
But the good news is, you don’t have to stay stuck. Simple, practical strategies can help you make decisions with confidence and clarity so you can move forward.
What is analysis paralysis?
Analysis paralysis happens when you overthink a decision so much that you can’t make any choice at all. You get stuck in a cycle of considering every possible option and tiny detail and worrying about what might go wrong. You get overloaded with information which—instead of helping you make a decision—slows you down or even stops you completely.
If you’ve experienced analysis paralysis, you know how frustrating it can be. You might start feeling anxious or guilty about not being able to make a decision, which only makes the problem worse. The more pressure you put on yourself to make the "right" choice, the harder it becomes to make any decision at all.
What makes analysis paralysis tricky is that it often feels like you’re being productive by thinking through every option. But in reality, all the overthinking is making the decision-making process much harder than it needs to be.
5 examples of analysis paralysis in daily life
Choosing what to eat: The pasta or the burger? The salad or the pizza? Everyone else at the table has ordered, and you’re still flipping through the menu asking the server for five more minutes.
Planning a big project: Work assignments, home renovations, or organizing an event can feel overwhelming. There are lots of steps involved, but nothing gets done because you can’t decide what to do first.
Shopping online: You get buried in reviews, specs, and comparison charts. The fear of choosing the wrong item leaves you scrolling and second-guessing without making a purchase.
Deciding what to wear: Your closet is full of clothes, but it feels like you have nothing to wear. The pressure to make the “right” choice for what you’re doing that day, or the weather, leaves you stuck staring at your wardrobe.
Picking a movie or show to watch: You fall into the habit of scrolling through endless titles, reading descriptions, and maybe watching a few trailers. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and you’re still sitting there unsure what to watch.
What causes analysis paralysis?
Several factors can make even the simplest decisions feel impossible, but analysis paralysis usually has a few common reasons behind it.
Fear of making the wrong decision: You worry that if you pick the “wrong” option, something bad might happen or you’ll regret it later. This fear can be paralyzing, especially when it comes to important decisions like choosing a career path or financial investments. The “what ifs” and fears take over, and instead of making a choice, you end up doing nothing because it feels safer than taking a risk.
Too much information: You can get stuck in an endless cycle of researching and comparing. There’s always more to learn, and more data to interpret — leaving you so overwhelmed and confused, it becomes harder to choose.
Perfectionism: The pressure to find the "best" option and setting unrealistic expectations can cause analysis paralysis, since choices are rarely, if ever, 100% perfect.
Overvaluing all options equally: When all options are perceived as equally important, you can become bogged down by minor details, which can slow down your ability to move forward. This can apply to minor decisions, like which TV show to watch, or bigger choices, like choosing between two similar job offers.
Decision fatigue: Mental exhaustion from making too many choices—big and small—can lead to difficulty in decision-making. This can make analysis paralysis worse, as our brain lacks the energy to escape overthinking.
How to manage analysis paralysis: 6 mindful tips and techniques to help you cope
If you’re feeling ready to break free from analysis paralysis and start moving forward, try these mindful, practical steps to stop overthinking and get unstuck.
1. Set a time limit for making decisions
When you give yourself a deadline, it forces you to stop overthinking and make a choice. This is especially helpful for smaller decisions like picking what to eat for dinner or choosing a movie to watch. Learn eight tips to set healthy boundaries with others (and yourself), which can help you stop stewing over the what ifs.
Tell yourself, “I’m going to spend 10 minutes deciding, and whatever I pick by then will be my final choice.” Once the time’s up, commit to your decision and trust that it’ll work out. Even if it doesn’t end up being the “perfect” choice, it’s better than staying stuck in indecision.
💙 Learn how to make a Time Budget for your days (and decisions) to help you spend your time wisely during this session of the Daily Jay.
2. Break decisions into smaller steps
Big decisions can feel overwhelming because they often involve many steps or factors. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, break the decision down into smaller, more manageable parts.
If you’re planning a large project at school or work, don’t try to figure out every detail all at once. Start with just the first step — perhaps outlining the project or setting up a meeting. Then take the next step after that, and so on.
💙 Practice the art of doing One Thing at a Time during this session of the Daily Trip with Jeff Warren.
3. Limit your options to make a choice easier
The more options you have, the harder it becomes to make a decision because you keep comparing and weighing each one. To manage this, narrow your options down to just a few.
If you’re shopping for a new pair of shoes, instead of looking at 50 different styles, narrow it down to a few options and choose from those. By limiting your choices, you reduce the amount of mental energy needed to compare them. If you’re still struggling, here’s how to use meditation for decision-making.
💙 Practice the Daily Jay’s Intentionality exercise to help you get clear on the choice you need to make.
4. Trust your gut feeling
While it’s important to think things through, overanalyzing every detail can lead to more confusion. And often, your intuition has already pointed you in the right direction. But overthinking gets in the way. Try trusting your first instinct to help you make decisions more quickly.
Trusting your gut doesn’t mean being reckless or ignoring important facts, but recognizing when you’ve done enough thinking and can follow what your intuition tells you. Practice checking in with yourself with these 10 mindfulness questions.
💙 Practice the art of Self-Trust with guidance from Tamara Levitt’s Relationship with Self Series.
5. Focus on progress, not perfection
The truth is, no decision is ever going to be 100% perfect. There will always be pros and cons to every choice, and that’s okay. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on making progress. Here are six tips for how to stop being a perfectionist.
Ask yourself, “What’s the next best step I can take right now?” It’s okay if your choice isn’t flawless. As long as it moves you forward, it’s a good choice.
💙 Explore your relationship with Perfectionism during this meditation from The Daily Calm.
6. Practice mindfulness techniques to manage overwhelm
When you feel overwhelmed by decision-making, mindfulness techniques can help calm your mind and bring you back to the present moment. Mindfulness is all about being aware of what’s happening right now and holding that awareness without judgment. It can help you stop the spiral of overthinking by grounding you in the present, where you can make decisions with a clearer head.
When you notice yourself getting anxious or stuck in analysis paralysis, take a few slow, deep breaths. Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your body. This can help you feel calm and less anxious, so you’re more ready to make a decision.
💙 Calm down your nervous system and come back to the present moment with the Reset with the Breath meditation with Jay Shetty.
Analysis paralysis FAQs
What is the difference between analysis paralysis and procrastination?
While analysis paralysis and procrastination can seem similar, they’re actually pretty different.
Analysis paralysis happens when you’re overwhelmed by too many choices or details. You end up in a cycle of overthinking and comparing all the possible options — to the point where you can’t decide at all. You’re trying so hard to make the “best” choice, but you’re afraid of getting it wrong.
Procrastination is when you delay doing something. You might put off tasks that feel too hard, boring, or stressful, rather than being unable to decide how to do them.
How does perfectionism contribute to analysis paralysis?
Perfectionism can worsen analysis paralysis, because perfectionists often feel every decision must be just right. This need for flawlessness can lead to viewing any choice that isn’t perfect as a failure, adding pressure to the decision-making process.
You might find yourself overanalyzing every detail, worrying about potential pitfalls, or endlessly researching to ensure you don’t miss the “best” option. This pressure can cause you to delay making a decision, as you hope that with a bit more time or information, you’ll discover the perfect solution.
Unfortunately, that perfect solution rarely exists. And the longer you wait to decide, the more stressed and stuck you may feel. Perfectionism can make even simple decisions seem high-stakes.
To overcome this, remind yourself that no decision will ever be perfect, and that’s okay. Progress is more important than waiting for everything to be perfect.
What are some quick mindfulness exercises to stop overthinking?
Mindfulness exercises can be great for calming the mind and helping you break free from overthinking.
Deep breathing: When you catch yourself spiraling into analysis paralysis, pause and focus on your breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold for four seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth for another count of four. This can help you calm down, and also brings your focus back to the present moment, making it easier to think clearly. (Here are seven more breathing exercises you can try.)
Body scan meditation: Close your eyes and focus on how your body feels. Start at the top of your head and slowly work your way down to your feet, noticing any areas of tension or discomfort. As you find these areas, consciously relax them. Tuning into your body can often give you a clearer sense of how you’re feeling about a decision. Check out more tips for doing a body scan meditation.
Grounding exercise: Look around and identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This can help pull you out of your mental fog and bring you back to reality, making it easier to break the cycle of overthinking. You can also explore these 18 grounding exercises to help you get present.
Is analysis paralysis related to ADHD or anxiety?
Analysis paralysis can be connected to both ADHD and anxiety. People with ADHD often struggle with decision-making because they tend to get easily distracted or overwhelmed by too many options. It can be hard to filter out what’s important and focus on just one thing, so decisions can feel much more complicated.
ADHD brains are wired to constantly seek out stimulation, so when faced with a decision, it’s easy to jump from one thought to another without settling on a choice.
For people with anxiety, analysis paralysis often comes from fear and worry about making the wrong decision. Thinking about all the possible “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios can make even small decisions feel overwhelming. You might worry about how your choice will be judged by others, or fear that you’ll regret your decision later. This anxious overthinking can freeze you because it feels safer to not decide, than make a choice that risks something going wrong.
If analysis paralysis frequently affects your daily life, it might be helpful to talk to a mental health professional. They can help you understand the underlying causes and help you find ways to manage it, especially if ADHD or anxiety is a factor.
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