“Why the Smartest People Struggle the Most.”
The Truth About Procrastination and Overthinking.
I work with a lot of people who look “sorted” on the outside.
They’re bright, capable, often senior in their field.
They make big decisions at work, hold things together at home… and quietly feel like their brain is slowly cooking them from the inside.
They say things like:
“I can’t switch off.”
“I think about things constantly but struggle to actually do them.”
“I’m shattered – and most of it is happening in my own head.”
If you recognise yourself in that, this is for you.
Because what if the problem isn’t that you’re lazy, weak, or “too much”…
but that your clever brain has never been shown how to work with you, instead of against you?
Why clever, caring people overthink
Let’s start with something reassuring:
There’s evidence that overthinking – worry, rumination, mental replay – is more common in people with higher verbal and analytical ability. Some research has found links between higher verbal intelligence and increased levels of worry and rumination, particularly in anxious and depressed groups. ScienceDirect+1
In plain English:
The better your brain is at running simulations, the harder it is to switch the simulations off.
On a brain level, a few things are going on:
1. Your “default mode network” is very good at its job
When you’re not actively focused on a task, a set of brain regions called the Default Mode Network (DMN) kicks in. It lights up when you’re daydreaming, thinking about the past or future, or replaying conversations. Psychology Today+1
For some people, this network is a quiet background hum.
For others, it’s like having a cinema on loop in their head.
Research has linked an overactive or dysregulated DMN with rumination and excessive worry – especially in anxiety and depression. Nature+1
So if you catch yourself:
Replaying the same conversation in your head
Imagining every worst-case scenario
Writing angry emails in your mind at 3am
…that’s your DMN doing circuits.
2. Your threat system is too helpful
Your limbic system (especially the amygdala) is the emotional alarm system of the brain. It’s brilliant at spotting possible danger… and not at all interested in nuance.
If you’re bright and sensitive, your brain doesn’t just see one possible threat – it sees twenty.
So your nervous system quietly lives in “just in case” mode.
This is not a character flaw. It’s a combination of:
A fast pattern-spotting brain
A sensitive threat-detection system
Usually, a life history where being prepared or “on” felt necessary
How overthinking turns into procrastination
So where does procrastination come into all this?
A lot of my clients think procrastination means they’re lazy or unmotivated. In reality, it’s usually their neurobiology doing exactly what it was wired to do.
The brain tug-of-war
Procrastination often comes from a tug-of-war between two systems: Ness Labs+2ahead-app.com+2
Prefrontal cortex – the rational planner behind your forehead. This part sets goals, weighs up long-term consequences, and says things like “Let’s just get this report done.”
Limbic system – the emotional, reward-seeking, comfort-loving part of the brain. This part says “Actually… checking email / making another coffee / reorganising the cutlery drawer sounds easier right now.”
When a task feels:
Vague (“I don’t know where to start”)
Threatening (“What if I fail?”)
Boring (“This is going to be painful”)
…your limbic system yells “avoid!” louder than your prefrontal cortex can say “focus.”
Overthinking pours petrol on this.
You don’t just think “I should write that proposal.”
You think:
“What if it’s not good enough?”
“What if they ask questions I can’t answer?”
“What if this exposes that I’m not as competent as people think?”
Your body now feels under threat. And when the body feels under threat, it prioritises short-term relief over long-term progress.
So you scroll. Or tidy. Or make another plan.
And then beat yourself up for not doing the thing.
A quick personal note
I don’t write about this from a distance.
I used to be excellent at sitting with a notebook, mapping out ideas, colour-coding priorities… and then doing absolutely none of them.
My pattern looked like this:
Big idea → excitement
Start mapping it out → realise how much there is to do
Brain spins → “This has to be really good”
Suddenly I’m “too tired”, “need to research more”, or “will start fresh on Monday”
It wasn’t that I didn’t care.
It’s that my nervous system was quietly overwhelmed, and nobody had ever shown me that was what was happening.
I see the same thing in my clients all the time.
One client, a senior leader, described opening his laptop each evening to “just quickly” draft a strategy doc… and then finding himself deep in LinkedIn, washing the dishes, or tweaking a slide title for 45 minutes.
On the surface: procrastination.
Underneath: fear of getting it wrong, being judged, or finally having to commit.
So what can you actually do about it?
Here are some practical, everyday ways to work with an overthinking, procrastinating brain – with real-life flavour.
1. Make tasks emotionally smaller
Your brain isn’t scared of “sending an email”.
It’s scared of what the email represents: rejection, conflict, exposure, failure.
Try this:
Instead of “Write proposal”, break it into brain-safe steps:
Open a blank doc
Jot 5 bullet points of what needs to be in it
Write the rough, messy version of section 1 only
Take a break
Come back and refine
Real-life example:
One client used to postpone “write performance review feedback” for days. We broke it into:
List 3 things they did well
List 2 growth areas
Draft first sentence only
He got it done in 15 minutes and said, “I wasn’t procrastinating – I was avoiding feeling like a bad manager.”
2. Time-box your overthinking
You won’t stop your brain thinking. But you can put it in a container.
Try this:
Give yourself a 10–15 minute “worry/plan window”:
Set a timer
Write down everything you’re anxious about or mentally rehearsing
Ask: “What’s in my control here?” and highlight only those bits
Choose one small action from the list
When the thoughts come back later, you can say, “We’ve scheduled that for tomorrow at 8.15.”
You’re training your brain that it doesn’t need to run the script all day to keep you safe.
3. Use your body to calm your brain
Your thinking brain takes its cues from your nervous system. If your body is in threat mode, your mind will mirror it.
Simple regulation habits:
Slow walks without your phone – even 10 minutes. Let your DMN wander without more input. This has been linked with reduced rumination and healthier DMN activity. feelgoodpsychology.com.au+1
Exhale-focused breathing – breathe in for 4, out for 6–8. Longer exhales tell your nervous system you’re not under immediate threat.
“Name 5 things” – look around and name 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear. It shifts you out of mental loops into present-moment data.
Real-life example:
A client who used to doom-scroll before bed now does a 15-minute slow walk after dinner instead. Same amount of time, completely different signal to the brain. Sleep and morning anxiety improved within a few weeks.
4. Reduce friction, not ambition
High achievers often set themselves Olympics-level standards for everyday tasks.
Instead of:
“I’ll write for 2 hours every evening this week.”
Try:
“I’ll write for 10 minutes after my first coffee. If I want to continue, that’s a bonus.”
The brain finds starting the hardest part. Once you’re in motion, your prefrontal cortex has more leverage.
This is sometimes called the “just get going” effect in habit science – short bursts reduce resistance and build trust that you do follow through. Freedom+1
5. Build small pockets of boredom
If your brain is constantly bombarded – notifications, podcasts, emails, WhatsApps – it never gets to complete its processing cycle in a gentle way. The DMN either goes into overdrive at night, or gets stuck in low-grade anxiety. Reddit+1
Try giving your mind actual empty space:
No phone while queueing or on the train
Walk or commute in silence once a day
One “no input” coffee break – no screen, no book, just you
This isn’t about being virtuous. It’s about letting your system reset so overthinking doesn’t have to happen at 2am.
A kinder story about your brain
If you take nothing else from this, let it be this:
Your overthinking is not proof that you’re broken.
Your procrastination is not proof that you’re lazy.
They’re often signs of:
A fast, pattern-spotting mind
A sensitive nervous system
A lifetime of having to stay “on it”
The work isn’t to become a different person.
The work is to learn how your particular brain and body operate – and to build systems, habits, and support around that.
For some people that might be therapy.
For others, coaching, nervous-system work, or honest conversations with someone who gets it.
However you do it, you deserve a life where your intelligence and depth are allowed to be a gift, not a quiet source of self-attack.