Can you overthink something you need to think about on more than one occasion? Of course, you can! It’s quite easy to, whether from doubt, anxiety, and/or other factors.

Should you think more than twice about something you need to think about on more than one occasion? That depends on the type of person you are, and/or what that something is.

So is there a practical norm for how much thinking you should do over things you need to think about more than once? No. That would vary for each person and/or type of situation. However, for me, thinking three times about things I need to think about more than once works well. When I need to think about something twice, and circumstances let me, I do. When I can think about it more, which is often in my life, I do a third time as a sort of final check on my previous thinking, with a time gap between the second and the third times. The gap lets me return to my previous conclusions in a different mindset, preferably done in a different place and at a different time of day from the previous times to help me to be in that different mindset. After that, unless my mind and my gut were both fighting hard for more thinking time, I give my analytical skills the benefit of a doubt and make it a point to stop thinking about it. It’s an art that comes with experience for when to stop thinking about something and when to keep thinking, but this routine has been a very useful guide that has rarely let me down.

How many times do you generally think about things in life that you need to think about more than once?

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This post is one of 70 quotes I wrote, each with an accompanying essay, in my e-book and paperback Stars I Put in my Sky to Live By, on Amazon or Smashwords (choose your price including free!).