Stop Spending So Much Time Thinking

I bet you spend a lot of time thinking. You can call it thinking, worrying, or stressing, but I call it busy thinking. 99% of your thoughts are useless, as philosopher William James said: “Most people think they are thinking when they are rearranging their prejudices.”

Note: This article is based on the work of Darius Foroux, in which he tells us about the importance of stopping spending too much time thinking.

Personal Experience

I have been obsessed with practical things all my life, such as practical philosophy, practical knowledge, practical books and practical advice. This idea comes from Pragmatism, a philosophical doctrine that began in the nineteenth century in America.

Charles Sanders Peirce, a professor at Harvard University, is considered the "founding father of pragmatism," but it was William James, an experienced physician-turned-philosopher, who defined this philosophy. William James says about thoughts, anxiety, and stress: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

Pragmatism believes that the mind is a tool and that your mind should work for you and not against you. People who do not control their minds do not believe that this is possible, and they say: "I can't help but think of these things." You can do that with enough practice.

It is a skill, and in other words, you can choose what you want to think about, or you can choose not to think, and this is one of the most important practical things you can learn in life. For me, before I learned this skill, I used to spend hours and hours thinking. So, just think about how many thoughts you have:

• "I wonder what my boss thinks of work?"
• "What happens if I fail and lose my job?"
• "Do you love me?"
• "I think he doesn't care about me."
• "I'm looser".
• "Why is my life miserable?"
• "Why is my life wonderful and other people's lives not?"
• “What if I get cancer?”
• "I don't care about my job, what's wrong with me?"
• "I can't finish anything, what's wrong with me?"

These countless thoughts are useless; these are the things people tell me when I ask them what they are worried about. Do you know what these thoughts do to you? Do you feel guilt, anger, and suffering?

What is the practical use of your ideas?

I know you don't have an answer. At least 99% of these ideas are useless, so what ideas are helpful?

1. Think about how to solve problems

A problem is a question without an answer, so use your brain to solve problems, as there are many problems on this earth.

2. Understand information

This means what comes. Try to internalize the knowledge and think about how you can use this knowledge to improve your personal and professional life, work, relationships, etc.

These are important thoughts, and you can ignore every other thought. If you are constantly thinking, it is because you have not trained your mind yet. You have to stop overthinking. If you don't, your situation will get worse. You probably think so much that you don't see the beauty of life.

Did you notice the sun shining this morning when you woke up? or raindrops? And did you notice the smell of your coffee? Did you taste your food while eating it? If your answer is no, then you definitely need to stop overthinking. Stop overthinking and start noticing the blessings of life.

How do I train myself to expel useless thoughts?

start from consciousness. Every time you start to get carried away by your thoughts, be aware of it, just watch your mind, stop thinking, and notice how crazy your thoughts are. Don't judge yourself, and don't think you are stupid. If you do that, you think again, as what you want to do is to say this to yourself: "That's a nice idea, now, let's get back to reality."

“If you can change your thoughts, you can change your life,” said William James.

In conclusion

Are you back to reality? Do you feel your eyes reading the letters on your screen? Do you feel your phone in your hand? And do you think about how you apply this information to your life? Excellent, you are using your brain, not the other way around. Keep using your brain because it is the most powerful tool on earth.