Cover Image: Don't Overthink It

Don't Overthink It

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Member Reviews

I enjoyed this essay style memoir that challenges the way you can (over)think. Provides great perspective and thought-provoking concepts.

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Anything Anne touches seems to turn to gold, but this one in particular is CHOCK FULL of gold nuggets. I have thought about this book for weeks afterward, a sign of an excellent and well-thought “self-help” book.

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I'm a proud member of the Mrs Darcy podcast fan-club, so i had ordered this kindle book early in addition to requesting the ARC which was such an uplifting and motivating read. Like many I have struggled with overthinking or having thoughts run through my head mostly when I am trying to sleep at night. I'm looking forward to trying out some of Anne's steps to overcome overthinking. I especially like the idea of the 2pm break from work for 15 to 20 minutes to get refreshed. When I finished the book I felt seen and encouraged that I can break the cycle and that I'm worthy. I will be buying flowers and won't be overthinking them!

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Prior to reading this book, I'm not sure I would have called myself an overthinker. However, now I see these moments when I get stuck numerous times a day! This is a great book to help break the cycle or spiral and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to add efficiency to their daily lives, decrease their worrying, or lessen the time needed to make a decision!

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As a chronic overthinker, I had a hard time starting this book because I wanted to be in the right mindset. Well, once I realized that's what I was doing and was a few pages in, I decided to stop questioning whether now was the right time to read, and instead just go for it.
To say I enjoyed this book and find value in it is an understatement. I found this book to be full of practical tips to help make decisions easier, while not demanding this was the "right way" to do things. Bogel suggests finding what is best for you and in the process streamlining things by making routines rituals when possible.
While I am not one that needs to have fresh flowers in the house, I plan on taking her advice to splurge on things that bring joy to my life.

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I love Anne Bogel’s approach to life in this book. It may seem like a small thing, but overthinking can be really draining. Bogel offers practical tips that work for any lifestyle and budget. She includes helpful questions at the end of each chapter to prompt the reader to explore the topic in their lives more deeply (without overthinking it). I look forward to her next book and am a big fan of her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the What Should I Read Next? Podcast.

**Thank you to Netgalley for the and Anne Bogel for the review copy* I also bought a copy of the book.

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Anne Bogel is best known for her lifestyle blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy as well as her ultra-popular podcast for readers, What Should I Read Next?. She is a book whisperer, a lover of decaf coffee, her dog Daisy, and of course, books. She has written books on her love of reading, reading people’s personalities, and now a book on overthinking, or how to stop doing it.

I feel like this book was written for me at the right time. I’m a classic overthinker. I’m the kind that will wake up at 3:00 AM and rethink or replay a prior conversation, an event, or a situation I was involved in. I will stew about a decision that needs to be made….no matter how small or large (including if I should just get up and go to the bathroom or if I can wait until my alarm goes off) that decision is. I like getting lots of opinions for others and that usually only create more overthinking rather than less. These situations and more are what Bogel addresses in her newest book.

In probably her most popular chapter, Bogel addresses the overthinking that happens at her favorite Trader Joe’s. If you aren’t familiar with TJ’s, they have the loveliest bouquets of flowers and the cutest plants at the store’s entrance. The best part is those flowers and plants are very reasonably priced. You can get a bunch of daffodils for $1.99 or a beautiful bouquet of various stem flowers for $4.99. But, Anne, like many of the rest of us, talk ourselves out of getting the flowers. Yes they are lovely. Yes they are cheap. Yes, I know exactly what vase I would put them in when I get home. But, yet, we don’t buy them because they aren’t a necessity, they aren’t what I came to the store to get, those flowers are not on my list. But, Anne says, #Buytheflowers. Treat yourself once in awhile and bring the joy home. Maybe for you that joy isn’t flowers, but a dish of ice cream, or a car wash, or a bottle of wine. Whatever it is, it’s okay to say “Yes” to the flowers. In fact, I have taken this advice and I recently bought some of my favorite pens in some new fun spring colors and not surprisingly, I smile every time I use them.

I resonated with Bogel’s chapter on decision fatigue. I have felt like I couldn’t make one more decision when we were remodeling our house. I remember feeling that way about choosing the menu for our son’s graduation party. Our minds make hundreds of decisions a day: what time to get up, what outfit to wear, what to have for breakfast, what route to take to work, which book to read next, which email to answer first, etc. I could go on and on with the amount of decisions to make every single day. Most of these sound pretty simple, but sometimes the amount of decisions we have to make can be overwhelming, no matter how simple. Bogel offered examples of having only a capsule wardrobe to simplify the choice of what to wear each day. Eating mostly the same food for lunch every day also alleviates one daily decision. Removing these daily decisions can help us make the bigger decisions not feel so overwhelming.

I appreciated Bogel’s idea that your morning ritual sets the tone for your whole day. So, if your routine involves overthinking, you are robbing yourself of the peace of that morning routine. I related to this idea when I was listening to negative, difficult, or hard-to-listen-to books in the morning. They were books I wanted to read/listen to, but their heavy tone set my day off in a way that wasn’t pleasant and caused me to start the day feeling tense. I now save those books for a different time in my day and try to start the day listening to books or podcasts that make me happy.

These are just a couple of the many tips and highlights I took away from reading DON’T OVERTHINK IT. Even if you don’t feel like you overthink decisions, there are still many takeaways from this book. Each chapter ends with a series of “Next Steps”, featuring deep-dive questions to ask yourself. You can write your thoughts in the space provided in the book or take your answers to a journal. Either way, it gets you thinking deeper about that chapter’s topic and how to change the process that drives overthinking.

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This is not the type of book that I can read quickly. It IS the type of book that I read in small spurts and stop to contemplate as I read. I spent a lot of time chasing ideas and making comparisons in my head to my own life situation. I consider this a good thing as most times with self help books I spend my time saying "Been there. Tried that." This book not only suggests what to do but gives you such good real life examples of why that you come to a greater understand of your own dynamic. With understanding comes the opportunity to fine tune your response and start to change these habits in tiny ways that stick. That is what makes this book a true self help book that needs to be digested slowly to be effective.

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Guys, I’m pretty sure Anne can read minds…

I’m a worrier and have always been one. I thought I was getting better at it but then I read Don’t Overthink It and realized that I was lying to myself because Anne was talking about her overthinking problem and was describing me almost EXACTLY!?!
What I love about Anne’s writing style in all her books is that she gives you the science and research without it ever being dull or droning on, but she also gives you real, concrete examples. You know what the best part is? Anne gives you tips and tools to help you realize what you are doing and to help you stop the cycle so you can enjoy your life!
As a perfectionist who always agonizes over making decisions out of fear of being “wrong”, Don’t Overthink It asks some tough questions but also gave me answers to help me be kinder to myself. Every little decision should not be life altering! You can make smart, practical decisions quickly and not beat yourself up over them for days afterwards…who knew? 
Thanks, Anne, for giving this perfectionist some breathing room!

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A well written, well planned and presented book on over thinking. Are you guilty of over-thinking? Most likely in some area or another! And if you think you're not just be aware of yourself for a day and see. I found myself debating whether I'd roast or put the chicken in the crock pot for today's meal. Too much mental energy expended.

With wonderfully real examples Anne Bogel depicts the over thinking that many of us engage in (from time to time) and gives us tips to manage this little habit that robs us of energy and time. In one place it had me chuckling out loud. Anne doesn't spare herself.

It's a book I'll dip into again, exploring some of her references as well.

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Great Book. Well written. I never thought I was an over-thinker, just a worrier. While reading this book I was able to put myself into the examples and learn some new techniques for stopping the madness that is over-thinking. I did find some of the examples and chapters a bit long. At times the author seemed to too many examples to define a point she was trying to make. But overall I found the book easy to read and very thought-provoking. I would give it 4 stars. I definitely recommend the read!.

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Anne talks to you like a big sister or good friend. She know the struggles and wants to help. As a woman I spend a lot of time overthinking. But that is not living our best life. If you want to live your best life than you want to read this book. Finding the patterns that keep you prisoner is going to free you and Anne is going to show you those patterns. I think that Anne manages to breakdown the multiple ways that we do overthink things and I know at least one of these things will resonate with you.

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Bogel could not have timed this book any better. The release of Don't Overthink It occurred during the corona virus scare of 2020. Even people who are usually free from anxiety and overthinking have been prone to panic with the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic and the president declaring a National Emergency. Bogel provides simple, specific tools for managing the tendency to overthink even the most basic decisions. Each chapter has a place to write what your next steps will be with thoughtful prompts. I encourage chronic over thinkers to purchase this book!

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Don't Overthink It sounds like an Anne Bogel book as you read it, which is a wonderful thing if you're a reader of her blog and/or a listener of her podcast. It feels like you're having a chat with a close friend about living a life free from ruminations that suck the joy out of life. This is a short and practical book packed with ideas to try and space to reflect on how these ideas will look in your own life. This is a great choice for anyone who feels like they spend too much time in their head rather than doing the things that make them happy or improve their surroundings. Even if you don't think about yourself as an overthinker, reading this book might help you in your relationships with others who do overthink or get you thinking about how to better align your behaviors with your values and priorities. There's not necessarily a lot of new information here, but the beauty is in how it's put together and explained like a curated set of suggestions from a friend.

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How do I even begin to review a book with so many nuggets of wisdom, that if I listed them all I’d re-write the entire book?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this book is only for overthinkers. At its heart, it’s a book to help anyone live a more joyful, abundant life. I read my e-galley once for an overview and now will go back through and slowly read the hard copy I pre-ordered and put these nuggets of wisdom into practice.

Anne is one of my favorite bloggers/podcasters and this book is pure gold. The book is written in Anne’s trademark easy-going, conversational style. I was delighted to receive an e-galley and be a part of the launch team.

This book will be on my keeper shelf! Excellent!

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I so enjoyed this book! Anne Bogel gives practical and freeing strategies for overcoming overthinking. From completing the cycle (aka finishing what you start) to letting go of perfectionism and realizing that (many times) the goal is to get a result, not the best possible experience. To be quite honest, I’d never really thought about the connection between overthinking and striving for perfection. Also, Anne writes a lot about living from our values. If we have a clear hold on our values, what we care about, on what we spend our valuable time and money, we can better make intentional and trustworthy decisions. Decisions that reflect those values, that reflect who we are and who we want to be. I highly recommend Don't Overthink It!

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I am such a fan of Anne Bogel's podcast "Whwt Should I Read Next." I enjoy her platform and how she interacts with her guests. I knew that as a writer she would also create content that I enjoyed. I didnt realize just how much I would not only enjoy it, but need it.

In this book Bogel is a dream. She really gets in your head and let's you know that you're just fine doing things the way you're doing them. She does then give tips on how you can prevent some everyday nuances from ruining your entire day.

Basically take a breathe, light the candle, buy the flowers, and stop overthinking it. I loved this one! I will buy a copy for all of the women in my life.

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I am incredibly indecisive and a classic over thinker. This book is exactly what I’ve needed. I have been a longtime fan of Anne Vogel’s podcast, but I hadn’t read one of her books. The real life examples and concrete, usable advice are not only refreshing, but somethings I have needed in my life. I don’t typically like to re-read books, but this is one I will go back to because of the practical advice. It has truly helped me in my life. I am a huge Anne Bogel fan!

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I really enjoyed Anne Bogal’s new book, “Don’t overthink it”. Reading it made me feel like I was talking to a friend who was giving practical and actionable advice about how to get more enjoyment out of life.

In one of my favorite chapters Bogel talks about creating rituals. “Elevating something to ritual status doesn’t require much; it’s all in the way you approach it.” This made me realize that switching out my big mug for one of my pretty tea cups is worth the effort and elevates a routine to a ritual, which makes me happy.

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I loved this book so much! When I heard Anne say what her latest book was about, I was counting down the months until I could get my hands on it. I am a major overthinker and this book has been a game changer for me. Don’t Overthink It is filled with excellent examples, thought provoking questions and easy to implement advice. You won’t find this book to be a preachy and it certainly won’t make you feel bad about how much you overthink things in your own life. Instead, it is like sitting down with a cup of coffee and chatting with a friend who knows what it feels like to overthink things, to have perfectionist tendencies or suffer from decision fatigue. Anne Bogel gives examples from her own life that I related to so well. Each time I picked up the book to read, I was excited about the direction it was taking me and how I was able to put her advice to work in my own life immediately. I am not someone who typically writes in my books but I found myself highlighting half of the book! It’s already helped me make positive changes in many areas of my life. I am permanently keeping a copy on my nightstand for easy reference when I need it. It’s that helpful!

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