There’s an announcement in the class that we are going to publish Souvenir and the interested one can submit the article. The thought that popped to my mind, you are going to write an article for that. Maybe all of us felt the same at that time the moment might be different though. Now, this mind of mine found a consumable piece of information that could take a lot of my time. So, one of the thoughts among them was what was I going to write as an article. Now the thoughts followed sequentially, I should write a poem, I should write just an article, and the next one should it be related to psychology? and many more. If the mind could keep track of thought after that it should be just the numbers of pi after 3. Overthinking, Overintellectualizing, complicating, constant thinking, subtilizing whatever you call started happening on this tiny organ of the body.
So, the first thing first, From Wikipedia, Analysis Paralysis (or paralysis by analysis) describes an individual or group process when overanalyzing or overthinking situations can cause forward motion or decision making to become ‘paralyzed’, meaning that no solution or course of action is decided upon. Before writing this article was just wasting my time scrolling Instagram, there was a made-up meme about Elbert Einstein. A reporter asked Einstien, Does it feel lonely to be the smartest person? Without a second thought (Smiling) he replies “I don’t know, you have to ask Nikola Tesla about it”. The brain clicks, fuck that’s what I want to give the answer instantly see that’s how it’s done. But this thought immediately shattered another speculation that I had, the more information/knowledge you have the more you will be occupied in the thought to find the perfect solution. If the same question was asked to me maybe the thought on my brain would go like “Why did s/he asked me the question? , what do they want in response to me, are they mocking me or they really think I am the smartest? …. blah blah blah, see this is analysis paralysis. Maybe if this thought process was guided towards the Navier Stokes problem I might solve one of the six unsolved Millenium problems and just win 1 million dollars.
So, let me take you back to my initial thought Should I write an article, here are its pros and cons or should I write a poem here are its pros and cons. Now, I have the freedom to choose between either of them but the brain that was thinking of this a moment before asked itself here are the choices I identified now choose between them. Is this what they call a paradox, is this when the brain is being paralyzed? So, here comes an end to that thought. Later that day my mind is again dwelling on the same article thing, it lets you daydreaming you are doing your work in the office and some part of the mind is still giving its insight on the thought. Meantime some lines of the poem come to the mind
Title: Peace of mind
Be the very best of every atom you are made of
Be humble as the wind
Goodbye to the worries and the sorrows
Just gotta tell goodbye to the old boring life
Wow, I should just write a poem that’s a great start. These choices are so consuming that the whole day you can spend daydreaming about it.
Poem Title: Daydreaming
Only when you close your eyes you can dream
Only when you open it you can make it come true
I’m here daydreaming
More and more dwelling with time
Nothing to worry, worth a dime
Every time I remember you, some spark ignite
You are fire for my candle
You, you light up the world of mine
I’m here daydreaming
Nice keep it up, brain another great title and start for the poem but I have already gone this far through the article, you reading there suggest should I write an article or a poem. Let’s just write both and submit at least one might be published in the souvenir oh shit here comes another thought, article, the poem now the third one write both. Meanwhile, I remember a Ted talk, I am not bothering to google the talk title, if I did it will be followed by background music on youtube, and 2 hours down the clock I will be watching cat meowing on youtube with the article where it is. Is the analysis paralysis the problem, only I am facing? See, I was going to talk about a Ted talk now not sure where this is going but this has been going like this for quite a while and the analysis is not only limited to choices but it can be consumed on a single choice itself as well.
I see analysis paralysis as watching a movie on Netflix. I have millions of videos to choose from, I just open Netflix and spent the 3 hours time I could have just selected a movie and watched, to just searching for the movie I could watch on the time I had and sleeping tired afterward just wasting my time.
Now, here is a decent length article for the souvenir and now another thought comes rolling up, Hey there is this article related to psychology? , the souvenir is being published by the psychology department. F**k now here is another time-consuming thought. I will just continue with the poem.
Title: Peace of Mind Continued
Nobody loves nobody cares, one hella selfish world,
Everyone goes home thinking their own restless day, sleepless night
What everyone need is what you need
Exist when in need, than being just a waste of space
The last line didn’t fit well in the poem just a waste of space, why why did you write that. Poem continues:
Cold breeze direct from the moon you will never be alone
I am always right there beside you or all I am is one call away
Starlights in the eyes, Fire in the soul
Live life for others not of others, you will never be alone
(Brain: continue on the poem it’s sounding good)
Cry for the weak, stumble for the specially-abled
Do what you can, shed tears for the life you have
Tears from the right, let it roll down the tears of joy
All you wanna be is a spark in the home of darkness
Brain: Submit both poems and articles and either might get published but now you have to relate it to psychology. So, let’s be Einstien here as on the above example and give it a quick thought, Yes it can be related to psycho… No, it can’t be related, that was quick another thought just before completing the first one, couldn’t be the Einstien. Let’s just google it and relate it anyhow to psychology.
Psychology has so many fields, which field should I relate the article to.
Thought process:
More topics, which to choose -> Every information I need is on the internet -> I should get extrinsic info that would strike everyone’s mind reading this.
Two hours later, F**k I didn’t find any topic I could relate to.
If we never had internet, I would just be writing what’s on my mind or referring to any book I had access to, so now who is to blame “Myself, you could not find any shit even though you had that much resource you piece of shit”
Barry Schwartz, in one of his ted talks global in 2005, Paradox of choices provides a similar example as the above scenario which is leading to depression. If you had limited choices you would blame the world but with unlimited choice who is to blame and the answer is definitely “you”. This is leading to depression and with higher expectations and the miserable reality, you are led to depression(he uses the word clinical depression) which is also leading to suicide in some cases. Now, Dora the explorer in my mind comes to play, Do you see this article is related to psychology? What is the keyword? Say the keyword loudly with me, “Depression”. There you go “Depression”, finally related to psychology. End of the paralysis on this particular thought now finally can give this article to be published.
Meanwhile, Brain: Let’s complete the poem as well, and let’s send both as an embedded article:
Title: Peace of mind continues:
Delusions here and there,
Either way be the right one, with the other is not that bad
It’s your choice of life, go with the guts you have
In the end, lamentation is for the one with other’s choices
Gratification, Satisfaction that is one’s abstractness
Same the pain and curse for the others, the clusters of life
Don’t think too much about what you have done, think about what you can do better
All you want at the end of the day is peace of mind
The conclusion I want the make here is there is a lot of information on this tiny little organ of our body and we have lots of resources to explore that in some way is decreasing our productivity, decision making, and creativity. Even while writing this article I have 20 tabs opened in Chrome so let’s be goal-oriented and decrease the analysis paralysis that we are prone to as much as possible. There I was paralyzed for several hours but then just let the gust of thoughts run through the keyboard and here I have an embedded article with a poem.
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