I received my ARC copy of Don’t Overthink It around the end of January. It is filled with good, practical ideas for how to know you overthink and even better, how to stop overthinking. As a huge fan of Anne Bogel’s Modern Mrs. Darcy and her podcast, I have now read two of her books and a third is waiting on my bookshelf. I am thrilled to read this one early because, “Hello. My name is Dana and I am an over thinker.” 

One of my favorite chapters is about a day when Anne carried flowers all over the store trying to decide if she should spend the four dollars or not for something that would bring her joy for a week but was perhaps frivolous. Why is that a favorite story? That is me! I have done that so often, I don’t even look at flowers anymore. Until now. Next shopping trip, I’m getting flowers!

Don’t overthink It offers many tips on how to make decisions without thinking it to death and Anne uses stories to make her points. I love her conversational and encouraging style of writing. She offers the ideas that have helped her become less of an over thinker and will help her readers.  She also includes a list of books for further research at the end of the book which is very helpful.

I recommend this excellent book to anyone who over thinks things, because really, don’t most of us at some point?

Have you ever read a book and felt so understood and seen by the author? Add “Don’t Over Think It” to my list! This beautifully written work gives hope and practical tips for those who struggle with over active thoughts (I have already implemented some of Anne’s recommendations). Reading her words in this book remind me of the comfort and joy you find when gaining a newfound friend... The first time you connect and say “No way?! You too? I thought I was the only one!” Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR!!

I wanted to take my time and thoroughly soak up the wisdom in these pages while simultaneously reading quickly to see what else I could relate to in this book.  It made me laugh. It made me consider my own habits and inclinations. It surprised me. I love when a book can do all of these things! This one is definitely worth a read!

This is a lovely little book! Most of us are prone to overthinking things that don't deserve it, and the more aware among us even know that we're doing it. But how do we do something different? This book gives practical advice on getting (and staying) out of that overthinking loop.

Because I preordered this book, I got to read the ebook over a month before it actually releases. I have both of Anne’s previous books and had the delight of meeting her when she visited Florida (almost a couple of years ago now), so to preorder and get to read this book took barely any thought at all. It is more amazing than I imagined it would be and I can’t wait to read it again when I get a paper copy in the mail. Anne has a way with words that engages you and makes you want to try her suggestions without seeming preachy or bossy. There are so many good suggestions in this book that it would take days to talk about them all...even if you overthinking isn’t your own diagnoses problem I think you would take something away from this easy to read, entertaining, and fun self-help book! #dontoverthinkit @annebogel #bestbookthisyear

This book provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on my over-thinking habits and to implement new habits and rituals into my daily life that encourage simple abundance, moments of splurge, and being a force for good in the world. I highly recommend this book for unpacking the negative aspects over-thinking can have on our lives such as time suckage and additional stress. I choose to be more open and flexible in my decision making process and to not dwell on the over-thinking scenarios that arise.

"You can't control what happens in life, but you can control how you chose to interpret things"
Anne Bogel
                                          
Instead of bombarding you with how-to’s, Anne takes you on a journey to build knowledge on the subject of overthinking. With each personal experience and example, she takes you through a journey to not only try to relearn your behavior but to reorganize your thinking in order to live a better, stress less life. 

I liked the questions at the end of each chapter that made you look inward to assess your current behaviors and look forward on what adjustments need to be made to not overthink. 

If your are looking for a book that gives you concrete advice without beating you over the head and with great stories and examples, this book is for you.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Baker Books for providing an ARC of this book.)

Analysis paralysis. Rumination. Perfectionism. How do we fight these and so many other types of overthinking? Values-based decision making. Completing the cycle. Simple abundance.

Is this a self-help book? Of course. Is this a self-righteous book? Obviously you don't know Anne Bogel.

Fans of her blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and her podcast, What Should I Read Next, will be familiar with Anne's talent for bringing universal subjects to an intimate level and helping us see them with fresh eyes. (See: any of her periodic What's Saving Your Life Right Now? posts.) She is unassuming, inclusive, and congenial. You could easily see yourself meeting her at the local coffee shop to talk books and catch up on each other's week. These are the strengths she brings to her book.

The thoughts, ideas, and processes that Anne shares in the book aren't highly original; we've heard them before, seen them elsewhere. The genius of the book is that she's brought them all together in one place and presented them in such an engaging manner. She speaks directly to you. She speaks directly to me. She tells stories from her own life to underscore the points she's making. And it's all done from a true desire to help, both on a personal level and in the larger world.

Life-changing is an over-used phrase lately. But it's accurate for this book. Reading it has changed my life for the better. It will be re-read many times and loaned to family members. It will be recommended every chance I get. There are very few books I can say that about. My rating is five stars and then some.

“Don’t wallow, don’t wobble, move on.”

Are you an overthinker? If so, then Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel is the book for you. I don’t gravitate toward self-help books, but I’m a follower and fan of Anne’s podcast What Should I Read Next and her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, so I wanted to support her work. What I love is how she provides several different scenarios behind why one might overthink, along with great example stories from her own family life, and then steps one can take to change the way we make decisions. Not every set of steps applies to or works for everyone, but depending on the underlying fear, concern or motivation behind your overthinking, you will find a path that hopefully ends the cycle and gives you back control of your headspace. 

Some of my favorite quotes:
“When we assume we can’t, it’s guaranteed we won’t.”

“when we aim for perfection, we freeze.”

“When I’m wondering if my life and my values are in sync, I’ve found it helpful to take a look at my calendar, because it reflects those things I value enough to actually plan for.”

“When we put off doing something we don’t want to do, we keep the unpleasant thing right in front of us for much longer than we need to.”

“treat your mind ‘as you would a private garden and [be] as careful as possible about what you introduce and allow to grow there.’”

“A task that needs doing is not the same thing as a task that needs to be done by you.”

Benediction: perfect way to close
“May you be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit. May you live in safety. May you be free from anxiety and worry. May you learn to look at yourself with the eyes of understanding and love. May you be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in yourself. May you know how to nourish the seeds of joy in yourself every day. May you be able to live fresh, solid, and free.”

Just as the title suggests, Don't Overthink it is all about how people tend to complicate life by overthinking situations. I am a classic overthinker. Reading this book helped me recognize that how I think/feel is more common than I realized. I am not the only one in my social circle overthinking everything. Anne Bogel was able to help me recognize how my whole life has been impacted by how much I overthink small (and large) decisions and how in turn it is impacted my daughter. Some "self help" books are hard to relate to, but as I turned the pages (err, swiped on my kindle) I found myself in this book. As I read the book the first time I was just reading it, but I am excited to go back and read it again and this time take the time to stop and really ask myself the questions that are found at the end of each chapter. I need to apply all of the ideas to my life now so that I can stop overthinking everything and experience more joy in my life.

I’m so lucky to have gotten an advanced copy of this book (digital), although I can’t wait to get my hard copy! True to Anne’s voice, the book feels like getting advice from a dear friend and has practical tips to help stop the cycle of overthinking. As a working mother of a toddler, this book hits home and I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t also benefit from reading it. It also includes helpful questions at the end of each chapter to help you apply the concepts to your life (the nerd in me who loves homework really enjoyed this feature)! I can tell this will be one of those books I keep in regular rotation as I need a refresher from time to time. #DontOverthinkIt #Netgalley

Anne Bogel’s book, Don’t Overthink It”, is just the book I needed to read in this season of my life. As a chronic over thinker, I have been struggling to overcome my practice of second guessing everything! Full of personal reflections and practical suggestions, this a book I can read over and over again to help me in my quest for peace. Anne’s layout of the chapters are easy to follow and I appreciated the questions at the end of each chapter to help me “make a plan”. I recommend this to anybody who struggles in this area in their life. Thank you, Anne!

As a fan and follower of Anne Bogel's blog and podcasts, I joined the launch team of this book not because I thought I was an overthinker but just because I enjoy Bogel's writing (I loved "I'd Rather Be Reading" and gave it to many people as a gift). I tend to be a "satisficer" with most decisions, but a few minutes into this book and I realized that this was the book I didn't know I needed.

"Don't Overthink It" is not just a book about over-thinking but a book about productivity, navigating life and making wise decisions. My favorite chapter is the one about using our values to help us make decisions without overthinking. There are often times I've second guessed myself about a decision that should have been a clear yes -- it aligns with my values -- but secondary concerns stalled me. I needed the reminder that our thought lives are truly our lives, and retraining our thoughts can reshape our actual lives. I saw myself in many of the examples Bogel gives, especially when she writes about deciding to splurge and rethinking all the costs, over and over again.

I might adopt her phrase "completing the cycle" for myself. "Open cycles," she writes, consume mental energy, occupy brain space, and beg us to monitor them as 'jobs in progress." Our brains get anxious when too many cycles remain open, because it takes energy to maintain them." I go through this a lot with small cycles (putting things away) and bigger ones (executing on a task or project before starting a new one).

This is a book I'll return to and likely give as a gift. It makes a great graduation gift for young people heading into adulthood. But most of all, even those who don't overthink will learn something from this book.

Like many bibliophiles, I'm a huge fan of Anne Bogel and her podcast What Should I Read Next. Even though I'm a fan, and an ISTJ and Enneagram 5, i.e., someone who overthinks A LOT, I wasn't sure if this book would be for me. Self help books usually aren't my jam. I was so wrong. It's for me. And it's for you. This is that book you didn't know you needed.

Don't Overthink It delivered on a lot of what I expected. Anne's conversational voice and relatable anecdotes, check! Tips and ideas shared concisely and casually, check! A bit of humor and a lot of heart, check! (There's a story about spaghetti squash that had me laughing out loud... and I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I audibly laughed while reading... never?). 

It also delivered beyond my expectations. I'm going to be honest. I love Anne but before opening this book I asked myself "what gives her the authority to write on this topic?". Life experience is great, but if I open a self help book I want it to be from an expert. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find Anne's recommendations incredibly helpful. Her stories add an ease and warmth to the book and her strategies are delivered with authenticity. I love that the tools she offers are suggestions, not rules. Pick what works for you, ignore the rest. It's a quick read with a lot to highlight and return to. Everyone will find something here that they can put into practice to live more mindfully and make their life easier. I'm a huge believer and practitioner of mindfulness and its power to change your life. Anne Bogel's book taught me some new tricks and helped reinforce ideas I needed to return to. Marie Kondo your stuff, Anne Bogel your mind!

Don’t Overthink It combines personal stories with research and theories to answer the question, How do I stop Overthinking?  
Each chapter gave practical advice in easy to follow steps with Anne’s personal stories to demonstrate how she or a friend has incorporated the steps to stop overthinking. The end of each chapter also provided questions for reflection and to think through for the upcoming weeks as you practice your new skills. 
Altogether I found the book to be a valuable resource and well thought out in its composition. There are many steps that I look forward to utilizing in my day to day routine and will be referring to the book again in the future.

What a great book! It's like having coffee and talking to a good friend! As a chronic over thinker, it's food for my soul. I'm already practicing sweeping away thoughts! Thank you, Anne, for your thoughts and insight!

Don't Overthink It tackles the issue facing many today, decision fatigue, too many options and confusing choices.  Anne takes the reader through different possible reasons that might cause you to "overthink".  Some will resonate, and some will not, and that is okay.  I relate to the introduction story about worrying about the weather and how it will affect travel.  Literally no control over the situation, so go into over planning mode.  I didn't however, understand the example of finishing your taxes way ahead of time and then waiting until the very last minute to mail them.  One of the key thoughts I picked up on was essentially deciding on a value and then letting that value guide a yes/no decision.  For example, "I will always say yes to an opportunity to see my childhood best friend." When an question comes up whether to visit the friend, or go to a concert, the decision is already made for you, you visit the friend.  I can see this concept coming in very useful.  Many other good take-aways! 

A good book for your home library! 

I received an advanced copy of this via Net Galley.

Even if you "think" you aren't an "overthinker"... you probably are. Anne gives great insight and tips through the sharing of her own stories and personal experiences in overcoming the barriers that stall us from action.

Very excited to read Anne Bogel's latest book! I got and read her first two books after a book tour event a couple years ago and loved them and found her Modern Mrs. Darcy blog and What Should I Read Next podcast. The book is in her voice and I felt like she was sitting with me telling stories and giving advice and ideas. I'm a thinker -- though had never considered myself an overthinker I did recognize some unproductive patterns that I can fall into and picked up several ideas about how to make decisions, simplify, improve focus and just be more intentional. I heard Anne read one chapter on her podcast a couple weeks ago and can say that it stuck in my head and I've taken to heart at least one idea (driving the prettier route). Anne knows books and readers and her own writing will never disappoint.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the ebook version of Anne Nigel's newest book. Look, I love Anne Bogel. It wouldn't matter who wrote "Don't Overthink It" though. This book is good. I kept seeing myself in her scenarios. I got real practical tips and I already find myself trying to "Overthink" less. If you even think you need this book, then you definitely do.