I’ll admit it: I love to think about thinking.

I went to graduate school what can I say??

Planning, strategy, new ideas are important to stay relevant in a fast-paced business world, but too much of it can hurt you.

What do I mean?

Have you ever spent a whole day brainstorming about an idea? Maybe it was a business idea. Maybe it was about your future. Maybe it was about your relationships. Maybe it was about your job. All of these things are great to ponder, but what good are these things if we don’t plan to put them in practice?

In business, time is a valuable commodity. Every hour that passes by is an opportunity to push the business forward. You have to use your time wisely.

Recently, I’ve been tasked to iterate some of our processes. I’ve been tasked to do a few things: grow a team, make them succeed, test new methods, document outcomes, tap a new market, among many other things.

I take my job very seriously so I spent days brainstorming, thinking, writing, talking, debating with myself to the point that I was thinking more than doing… but I didn’t realize how bad it was until a friend asked me what I’ve been up to: I said "thinking."

My friend immediately said: “Stop thinking already- make it happen.”

It hit me right in the face.

I didn’t realize I was over-thinking. How could I? Thinking consumes you. It’s work… but in business and in start-up life you have to balance thinking AND doing simultaneously.

Don’t get carried away with thinking too much and forgetting to do what you have to do.

I’ve learned my lesson.