Overprepare But Don't Overthink

There’s an old Buddhist story about a man struck by a poisoned arrow. A doctor rushes to help, but the man stops him.

“Not yet,” he says. “Before you remove it, I want to know who shot me. What village are they from? What kind of wood was their bow made from? Was it a longbow or a crossbow?”

While he asks his questions, the poison spreads. And he dies.

It sounds ridiculous. But we do the same thing. Life hits us, and instead of acting, we overanalyze and overthink. In our quest for perfection and getting it exactly right, we cause ourselves to spiral and the moement passes. The damage is done.

Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, put it well:
“You don’t just want a leader who is trying to survive. You want someone who has confidence, preparation, and a clear mind to do what’s right, even though it doesn’t always work out.”

He’s right. There is a principle I share with coaching clients that I want you to remember today. Over-prepare but don’t overthink.

So, how do you do that? Follow the Rule of Three and One.

• Prepare for something three times longer than the time it takes to perform it.

• Then, when it’s time to perform, focus on one small thing in front of you.

That’s it. Prepare, prepare, prepare…act. It’s simple. But not easy.

You’re distracted, you’re rushed, you want it to be perfect.
But mastery doesn’t come from overthinking. It comes from overdoing.

So don’t let overthinking steal your moment. Over-prepare, then trust yourself to act.

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