MSS #0143: Overwhelm Isn’t What You Think — It’s Indecision in Disguise

MSS #0143: Overwhelm Isn’t What You Think — It’s Indecision in Disguise

4 Oct, 2025

🕒Read time: 2.2 minutes

🚀 In a hurry? Skip to “3 Practical Ways to Make Decisions Faster” for a reduced reading time of 0.6 minutes.

A CEO once told me, “I’m drowning. There’s just so much on my plate.”

When I asked them to show me the list, they hesitated.

Because the list wasn’t written down.
It was swirling in their head.

The team.
The launch.
The hiring.
The strategy.

It felt like overwhelm.
But as we spoke, it became clear—this wasn’t pressure.
It was indecision wearing a disguise.

They hadn’t yet decided what mattered most.
They hadn’t decided what could wait.
They hadn’t decided who they were willing to disappoint.

The moment they started making small choices, the “overwhelm” began to ease.

When Overwhelm is Really Indecision

Overwhelm often looks like too much to do.

But many times, the weight comes not from action—but from unmade decisions.

Indecision clutters the mind.
It keeps every option alive at once.

And that constant mental juggling feels heavy.

The good news?
A single clear choice can dissolve a surprising amount of stress.

3 Practical Ways to Make Decisions Faster

When you’re stuck between options, these tools help bring clarity.

1. The Coin Flip Test
Flip a coin and imagine the decision is made.
Notice your gut reaction.
Do you feel relief or disappointment?
That instant response shows where your true preference lies.

2. The Emotional Time Machine
Ask yourself: How will I feel about this choice in a month?
Or in a year?
Often, a longer perspective makes the best option clearer.

3. Trust Your Gut—Then Check It
Your gut is quick to sense alignment.
If one option feels right, note it.
Then run a quick sense-check with facts and logic to balance instinct with reason.

From Drowning to Deciding

Overwhelm thrives in uncertainty.

Every time you decide, you take something off the mental list.

And the more decisions you make—big or small—the lighter you feel.

So, when you next feel overwhelmed, pause.

Ask: Am I truly overloaded, or simply undecided?

For Really Big Decisions You Might Be Avoiding

Everyday indecision creates clutter.

But some choices feel so big—about people, strategy, sales, or investment—that avoiding them feels safer than deciding.

Here are six ways to support those heavier calls:

1. Clarify the Criteria First
Write down what matters most in this decision.
Speed? Cost? Growth? Impact on people? Risk reduction?
When the criteria are clear, the choice gets lighter.

2. Worst-Case, Best-Case, Most Likely
Sketch the three scenarios for each option.
This stops you getting stuck only in extremes.

3. Pre-Mortem Exercise
Imagine you’ve made the decision and a year later it failed.
Ask: What went wrong?
This helps spot risks early.

4. Seek Dissent, Not Just Consensus
Invite colleagues or board members to challenge your thinking.
Hearing strong counter-arguments often sharpens clarity.

5. Small Experiments Before Big Commitments
Test your choice on a small scale first.
Pilot a strategy in one market.
Trial a new system with one team.
Reduce the weight of one huge leap.

6. Decide on the “Next Step,” Not the Whole Path
Shift your mindset from final decision to next decision.
What’s the next best step you can commit to now?
This makes progress possible without paralysis.

Summary

Overwhelm is often not about workload but about indecision.

By making small, simple choices, you reduce the weight of unmade decisions and create clarity.

• Overwhelm can be indecision in disguise.

• Unmade decisions clutter the mind and create stress.

• Three ways to decide:
  • Coin Flip Test – notice relief or disappointment.
  • Emotional Time Machine – look at how you’ll feel later.
  • Gut Instinct Check – trust it, then balance with facts.

• For bigger decisions, use criteria, scenario planning, pre-mortems, dissent, small experiments, and next-step thinking.

• Every decision lightens the load.

See you next week. One more thought 👇

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.