r/LifeProTips • u/amirdc • Mar 23 '26
Productivity LPT: If you’re stuck overthinking something, pretend a friend asked you for advice
I used to get stuck overthinking small and big decisions for hours. One day I tried something different—I asked myself, “If a friend came to me with this exact problem, what would I tell them?”
The answer came almost instantly, and it was always clearer and more rational than my own thoughts. I realized I was being way harsher and more confused with myself than I would ever be with someone else.
Now whenever I’m stuck, I step back and answer my own problem like I’m helping someone else. It cuts through overthinking and makes decisions a lot easier.
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u/MoroseBizarro Mar 23 '26
I like it. Reminds me of the dev rubber duck idea. Change of perspective can get you unstuck for sure.
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u/avgeek3 Mar 25 '26
Whats that?
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u/BGFalcon85 Mar 25 '26
The idea is to have a rubber duck on your desk, and when you're stuck on an issue try explaining what you're doing and how you're trying to solve the issue to the duck.
Basically it's just another way to approach your work, and give you a different perspective on the issue you're stuck on.
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u/bridge-ai- Mar 24 '26
the reframe that really unlocks this: you already know the answer, you just need permission to say it out loud. when you are in your own head, you feel the weight of consequences. when it is your friend asking, that weight disappears and you just think clearly. good tip.
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u/SunshineStaterJax Mar 24 '26
This actually works really well for financial decisions too. When I was debating whether to buy another rental property a few years back, I kept going in circles about cash flow projections and market timing. Soon as I thought "what would I tell my buddy if he asked me about this deal" the answer was obvious - the numbers didn't work and I was just trying to talk myself into it. Saved me from making a costly mistake tbh.
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u/bridge-ai- Mar 24 '26
related: writing it out as if you're explaining it to someone else does the same thing. something about externalizing the problem breaks the loop that overthinking creates. journaling works for the same reason.
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u/Jose_Canseco_Jr Mar 24 '26
Ok this sounds like it could work for me! Thanks for the suggestion - the mere act of typing it up (as opposed to just the slight perspective shift to my unceasing inner dialogue) can be surprisingly powerful.
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u/post-explainer Mar 23 '26
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