Hi Reader!

When I take a step back, I have to chuckle...

Here I am a former philosophy professor warning thought leaders about overthinking. 🤣

I surround myself with Big Idea experts. I don't really "play well" with people who don't know how to think. (My sandbox. My rules.)

And I'm all for thinking BIG. Thinking big has landed you right where you are.

But here's the thing about people like us: We can fall into the trap of overthinking.

And overthinking is the opposite of thinking big.

When I wrote philosophy papers, I would write and rewrite the same five sentences for hours and sometimes days.

Now, when you're writing analytical philosophy, precision IS important. But I wasn't fretting over a few sentences just because I wanted to be precise.

I was rewriting the same few sentences over and over because it felt SAFER than moving on to the hard part of making my argument (which I hadn't yet fully worked out) and pushing the conversation forward.

These days, when I feel myself overthinking by rewriting, I ask: How can I think bigger?

• Some days that means getting up from my desk and taking a walk (I often have breakthroughs while walking in the woods).
• Some days it means calling a friend to help me zoom out and see the big picture.
• Some days it means skipping the introduction and going straight to drafting the heart of the idea.
• Some days it means opening a whole new Google doc and starting over.

Forcing myself to think bigger (no matter how uncomfortable it feels) helps me write a draft much more quickly. And once I have the draft done, I allow myself to go back to obsessively fretting over the wording of a few sentences.

Do you know what I discovered though?

You guessed it.

I don't feel like obsessively fretting over the wording anymore.

Once I have the big picture in front of me, I can write what I mean, and the words come more easily. Instead of trying to write my way out of the fuzziness one word at a time, I sketch what I know and build from there.

If you also find yourself overthinking the first draft of your introduction or a chapter of your business book, here's what I want you to remember:

• If you're stuck and you haven't written an outline, start there.
• You don't need to write every sentence or even every chapter in order.
• A LOT of thinking happens when you force yourself to sketch out the big picture.
• A complete first draft is better than a perfect unfinished first draft.
• You can fix anything in the edit.

So if you want to stop overthinking your business book, it's time to start thinking BIG.

Thanks,

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Weekly Challenge

What is that idea you've been putting off for too long? What is that kernel of your next book that you haven't found the time to articulate?

This week, I want you to think BIG and write something meaningful. Think big, but don't put a ton of pressure on yourself to publish what you write. It could be just a few lines in your journal.

Take 10 minutes to write it down. Then send it to me if you want. I'm cheering you on!

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Inspo Corner

Hot off the presses! My article "The Airplane Book: The Business Book Sweet Spot" is live on The TJB American Business Magazine, a print and online business magazine with 60,000 regular readers.

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Other ways to work with The Pocket PhD

​Quiz - Do you have a business case for your book? Find out.

​Book Ghostwriting - Idea to book in just 16 weeks. I'll help you refine your idea and take care of the discipline of writing.

​Developmental Editing - Do you have a manuscript that's finished (or close to being finished)? In 4 weeks, we'll get that book ready for publication.

​Grab Your Copy of Unwritten - My book Unwritten: The Thought Leader's Guide to Not Overthinking Your Business Book is available now.

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Get Unwritten

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P.S. If you've purchased Unwritten, I've got a special offer for you: A free book consultation call (a $250 value) in exchange for your honest review of the book. Interested? Reply and let me know.