Ruminating. Over-analyzing. Overthinking. Everyone is guilty of this. But, introverts, who spend a great deal of time thinking in general, are more likely to fall prey to this problem.

Why?

Because an introvert’s brain is like a mind map, linking every available fact to other available facts into perpetuity.

We go completely down the rabbit hole, whether the issue is what to wear, whether you should get a divorce, or where you should go on vacation.

One of the most damaging areas where this tendency appears is when thinking about the past. How many of us have lost sleep thinking about how we could have said something differently and actually felt embarrassed about something stupid we said last week, last month, or last year? And worse, imagining things might have been different if we hadn’t said or done that thing?

Maybe if I’d laughed harder at the boss’s joke, I wouldn’t have gotten fired.

Maybe if I’d asked more questions in the interview, I would have gotten the job.

Maybe if I’d called my friend more, they wouldn’t have stopped speaking to me.

And in case you thought this was limited to really important items, I still think about that time the waiter said “Enjoy your meal,” and I replied, “Thank you, you too.”

How might things change if we could immediately ground ourselves in the present when these types of thoughts take over?

The Daily Brief

Every morning, for more than 50 years, the President of the United States has received a daily brief. This is, more or less, a distillation of the current state of events for the nation. Many CEO’s and business leaders also receive daily briefs like this which break down the current state of their business.

Taking a snapshot of what is happening right this minute is more likely to produce actionable results.

The more you can focus on the present, the less likely your mind will wander to things you can’t do anything about. You may not be the President of the United States or a CEO. But, you can still use the daily brief to your advantage.

I recommend writing it to yourself in third person to give yourself some objectivity and also, because it’s fun to pretend you have an assistant who writes these out for you.

Imagine someone brought you a daily brief in a nice, leather bound folder every morning with your coffee. What might be inside?

Example of the Daily Brief delivered every morning by my imaginary assistant, Greta.

• That thing is still hanging from underneath your car
• You are out of avocados
• You have a goal to write 50,000 words this month. You have written twelve words.
• Your ex called yesterday and would like you to get your own Spotify account
• The cat is plotting to kill you

Why is this so powerful?

Because it only lists items that are actionable.

Here is what it would that brief would NOT say:

• If you had studied more in high school, maybe you would have gotten into Yale
• It’s highly suspected your mother prefers your younger sister.
• Remember that time you tried to stalk your nemesis and accidentally made her name your Facebook status? Just wanted to remind you of it.
• How about that time in law school when you were making a grocery list in Property class and the professor asked you what the holding of the case was and you said, THE DEFENDANT, and then there was a VERY LONG PAUSE and everyone laughed at you?

Why were these lovely items not included in your daily brief? Because absolutely nothing can be done about them and they are a supreme waste of time to be thinking about. If they don’t belong in your daily brief, they don’t belong in your head.

Is there anything you can do about making a fool of yourself at a party in 2011? No. But, you can fix the thing hanging from the car, buy avocados, write more words, get therapy for the cat and tell your ex you’ll use his Spotify if you feel like it.

Ever find yourself mortified and overly focused on something you did in the past? Write out your daily brief and tell us about it in the comments.