Stop Overthinking: How Increasing Your Output Improves Quality

The Myth of Quality Over Quantity

We’ve all heard the saying, “Quality over quantity.” It’s a phrase repeated by well-meaning people who want us to slow down and take our time. And there’s truth in it: When you stick with something, chip away at it, and improve it, it can become exponentially better. Sticking with something is a powerful thing.

But sticking with something isn’t always easy, especially if we’re not completely invested in what we’re doing. Often, it requires experience and confidence—two things we may not always have. So what happens if we lack both? Are we only supposed to pursue things we’re confident in or experienced at? Of course not. We’re free to do whatever we want.

For most of us who are able to read this article (access to the internet, phone, etc.), no one is really stopping us. It might feel like people or circumstances are holding us back, but more often, it’s just our doubts. Those doubts are there because we care. We want to do great work, but we’re also jailed by fears and insecurities. Some of these fears are ours; others are learned. Either way, they’re there, and they can hold us back.

The Key to Overcoming Doubt: Output

When it comes to creativity, career, or work in general, one of the most effective ways to overcome doubt is to increase output. Why? Increased output leads to increased quality. The more we create, the more feedback we get, and the faster we improve.

As Steven Pressfield said in The War of Art, we get ahead of our doubts when we create faster. Overthinking is deadly because it gives those doubts room to grow. The more time we spend on our doubts, the bigger and scarier they become. But if we move faster—if we focus on creating—we redirect our time and attention away from doubt and onto the task at hand.

Breaking the Habit of Overthinking

Often, the task itself isn’t even that difficult. It might fall well within our abilities or even in our zone of genius. But overthinking becomes a habit—a default setting that chips away at our time, our productivity, and ultimately our confidence. Another day passes, and we feel guilt and shame, not because of the work itself, but because we’ve let doubt hijack our attention.

The problem is not the work. It’s a bad habit of overthinking that keeps us focused on the wrong thing.

Steph Curry’s Drill: A Lesson in Routine and Repetition

I was recently on YouTube watching a video of Steph Curry training, specifically a drill where he alternated between shooting and sprinting. Between every single shot, he ran from baseline to baseline, then picked up the ball and shot again. There was no overthinking—it was pure routine. He wasn’t trying to take the perfect shot or a particularly difficult shot. He was simply running and shooting, running and shooting, over and over again.

This approach allowed him to get up an incredible number of shots compared to if he had stopped to think about the “right” shot to take. By sticking to the routine, he worked on his conditioning, his form, and his ability to shoot while exhausted or with an elevated heart rate. It was all about repetition.

Of course, as an elite professional athlete, his training involves extensive planning, but for me, this was a great analogy for how productive we can be with a combination of a plan and speed. Steph had a clear plan for the drill, and he executed it with speed, allowing him to get up hundreds of shots. If he had paused to think between each one, his total output might have been cut in half—or even dropped by 75%. That loss of momentum would have made it nearly impossible to build rhythm or progress.

From Overthinking to Output: Applying the Lesson

This inspired me as I worked to increase my social media output. For the past four years, I’ve consistently posted one or two times a day. Recently, I decided to up it to two to five posts daily. At first, it felt nearly impossible because I was overthinking. I’d ask myself, “What’s the perfect message?” or “What’s the most relevant, targeted thing to say?” That kind of thinking slowed me down and took me out of the zone.

Then I thought about Steph Curry and his drill. He had a format—run and shoot—and stuck to it. So, I decided to create a format for my posts. I also set a timer, just like Steph uses a timer for his drills, and told myself to just write without worrying about spelling, grammar, or whether it was good. I focused on speed and routine.

The Power of Bad Posts and Moving Fast

That’s when I remembered something my dad once told me. He shared a story about his art teacher, who encouraged the class to “make bad art.” The idea stuck with me. So, as part of this new approach, I gave myself five minutes to write intentionally bad social media posts. To my surprise, those “bad” posts flowed effortlessly. Even more shocking? Many of them weren’t bad at all. In fact, one of those posts ended up going viral, reaching an audience equivalent to my last 30 posts combined.

This exercise taught me some powerful lessons about output. The most important one was this: when I move fast, I connect quickly to what I already know.

In our pursuit of success, we often obsess over what needs improvement. We focus on the next challenge or the areas where we fall short. This mindset can make it easy to forget how much progress we’ve already made. But this drill reminded me of the value of doing what I already know how to do—and doing it quickly.

By writing rapidly and aiming to create posts—even “bad” posts—I took the pressure off myself. There was no time to think, just time to do. I leaned into what I know, and it was incredibly liberating. Writing became fun. It felt like a game. I even caught myself smiling the whole time.

The key was speed. By moving faster, I bypassed self-doubt and overthinking, allowing myself to create freely. This light, pressure-free approach not only improved my output but also reminded me that success often comes from trusting what we already know and letting ourselves execute without hesitation.

Identify the Area That Matters Most

Here’s my challenge for you: Think about an area of your life where you want to be great—not just for the sake of being great but because improving it will have a domino effect on other areas.

If it’s work-related, it might mean developing a skill that leads to higher compensation, greater responsibility, and more leadership opportunities. That, in turn, could give you greater influence, which impacts your ability to provide for your family, travel, save, and invest.

Maybe it’s your health. You might want to lose weight or get stronger. Better health improves your energy, decreases stress, boosts cognitive abilities, and builds confidence. And when you feel more confident and capable, you perform better in every area of life.

Or perhaps it’s your ability to communicate. Maybe you’re shy or feel like your social skills aren’t where you want them to be. You could work on starting conversations, talking about yourself and your work, or speaking to a potential partner. Communication is a foundational skill that impacts every relationship and opportunity in life.

Turn Goals Into Actionable Drills

Now, reflect on a meaningful area of your life that you’d like to improve. What specifically would you like to get better at? Once you identify it, think about how you can turn that goal into a drill—breaking it down into small, repeatable actions that you can practice over and over.

For example, if you want to improve your public speaking or communication skills, you can pull out your phone and record a 30-second elevator pitch about what you’re working on, your strengths, or who you help. Watch it, take notes, and then do it again. Set a timer and give yourself 15 minutes to record this speech 10 times, with a 30-second rest in between each take. Afterward, watch all 10 videos and notice how much better you’ve gotten in such a short amount of time. Imagine how much progress you’d make if you did this for a few days in a row.

If you’re trying to get fit but aren’t sure what you enjoy, dedicate time at the gym to exploring. Try different exercises and machines to find what’s most fun for you.

Build Momentum Through Speed and Repetition

If your goal is creative—whether it’s writing, drawing, painting, singing, or dancing—set a timer and focus on doing more of it quickly. Prioritize action over planning. Then, once you’ve done the work, create a plan based on what’s working at the moment.

The whole point of these drills is to tap into what you already know how to do but do it faster and faster. This builds trust in your intuition, confidence in your abilities, and momentum in your progress.

So, what’s an area of your life that you want to improve? What’s one small, targeted behavior you can focus on? And how can you use your phone as a timer to turn it into a productive, repeatable drill?