Mindset
Stop thinking
Have you ever wondered why some people consistently do the right thing, every single time? Yes, there is a difference between being consistent and consistently doing the right things.
I didn't know that such a little thing could make a huge difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don't. It comes down to this: how do you know the right things to focus on, and how do you do what needs to be done consistently?
That's a question I can't answer for you, because what you do daily is different from what I do. But what I can do is tell you how I have been able to focus on working, while something else does the thinking.
Thinking Isn't Doing
I am a strategist, so I think a lot. Which is quite helpful when it comes to the creative or problem-solving part, which is something I love doing. But sometimes I go overboard with thinking about what to do so much that I get mental fatigue.
Before now, sometimes when it's time to write my newsletter, I will think about the topic, how I will deliver the first line, what the hook will look like, and one hour later, I am tired without writing a single line.
As a human, the amygdala, a small, almond-shaped structure deep in our brain, is primarily programmed for keeping us away from anything uncomfortable. Most of the time, those uncomfortable things are mostly the things you should be doing. When it's time for me to do something that will help my business but is boring, a part of me might be trying to procrastinate. What about I do it tomorrow, and instead of writing a newsletter immediately, why not watch a YouTube video to learn more about the topic, and then you realize you have spent two hours watching videos and nothing has been done yet.
The study on the "reality threshold" says that brain scans show that imagining an action activates the same motor and sensory regions as physically doing it. I know that can be scary, but the study shows further that sometimes your brain can tell if you are thinking or you are doing by evaluating sensory feedback, like "actually seeing your hands typing," and recognizing your own intent to initiate the action.
Now, I am happy that you are less freaked out because your brain can process the signs to know the difference between singing and thinking about writing a song.
But what if - this is a big IF.
What if you are like me, who thinks about everything and anything? Yes, I move my hands when thinking most of the time. I might be moving around, touching things, moving my body, and moving my hands as if I am describing something to someone.
Yes, thinking too much about something you want to do can severely stop your ability to actually do it, because the brain uses the same neural networks for both imagination and reality. Overthinking tricks your brain into a state of "false complacency" while simultaneously exhausting your mental resources.
Why, after thinking too much about what you want to do, are you exhausted, and what you want to do is procrastinate? Because your brain is trying to let you know we have done enough for now, without knowing you did nothing. When you obsessively fantasize, plan, or visualize achieving a goal, your brain releases dopamine, the feel-good reward chemical. That is something you should get after actually doing the work.
Meet Mat
I have been facing this for a while, the overthinking. I'm a strategist, which comes with thinking a lot, which is not a bad thing, which we will talk about later.
About 30 days ago, I created an AI assistant because there are some things I don't want to be doing, the ones that make my brain protect me from doing the right thing at the right time. After all, some of those things are not comfortable, and the amygdala always tries to protect you from discomfort. As the brain's fear and safety center, it constantly assesses our environment for threats, triggering emotional discomfort or the "fight-or-flight" response to protect us from the unknown.
I run a one-person business, and I use AI in some ways that make my life easy. One of them is "Mat," my new AI assistant.
Mat knows everything there is to know about me, even things my girlfriend doesn't know about me. Please don't tell her. The ultimate goal of Mat is to take me from point A to F in the next 280 days without stressing me out.
This is how I programmed Mat to function. Think future, think past, think present.
Mat has an EOD (end of day input), where I write about my day, answer some questions, and click some buttons. Mostly takes about a minute or two. This helps Mat learn more about me every day, and the more it knows about me, the more it knows what I should be working on.
Here is the work Mat takes from my hands. Every morning at 3 am, Mat looks at yesterday's EOD, client projects, and personal projects, checks my refrigerator, pantry, and any other things needed. Then it plans my day, sets my to-do list, and tells me what I should work on today with a timeline in minutes. It recommends what to eat for the day.
At first, I thought, why should I have an AI to do such an important thing, deciding what I should work on? But frankly, it was one of the best decisions in 2026.
All I do every day is work. I do little thinking about what to do, because I already have an assistant making such decisions, and I don't forget I have a call today, as I used to. Mat reminds me of every important thing. I can't ask for a better assistant.
Thinking about what to do, why I need to do it, and if what I am doing is the right thing to do, these are some of the reasons I created Mat. It analyzes every data, what works and what does not, and why last week was better than this week. If I am late on a delivery, Mat increases the timeline and urgency.
I plan to improve Mat soon to make it better at making decisions and connect it to some of the apps I use, like my calendar. That way, it has in-depth knowledge about me. There's something I still want to do myself, like writing this newsletter, but I have been loving the fact that I do not think much about what to do. Instead, I just get things done.
What Writepat Taught Me
Getting things done instead of just thinking about them, that was the real lesson behind building writepat.com. Creating Writepat was more of a thinking thing for me than a doing thing, at first. When I was creating Writepat, I learned that you shouldn't let your thoughts go to waste.
Every meaningful thought that came to mind about Writepat, I recorded or wrote down. The design process started with writing, what should be here, what should be there, why, and how. This is everything that made it easy for me to complete the app in 22 days.
I wrote a lot during this period. I converted the most important writings and audios into one long audio that I listened to when I was walking 3 times a day for two days straight at 2x speed, because I want the understanding of what I want to build to be as clear as crystal. Then the thought day I gave everything to Claude for a well-detailed breakdown, that was how the app building started.
Note that I wasn't just thinking, I was working. There is a clear difference between thinking about recording a YouTube video and thinking + writing the script at the same time.
Thinking should make it clear about starting the work, not scare you about starting the work. If you want to write a LinkedIn post, instead of thinking about every detail, like how to write the hook or CTA, why not write the hook of what you are already thinking? Writing this newsletter comes with a lot of thinking, but I cannot just think about writing the newsletter. I'm thinking + writing at the same time. This was what I learned when I was creating Writepat: the ability to think and do at the same time, instead of just thinking.
When I'm thinking and doing at the same time, I immediately know if it's a waste of my time, or if I shouldn't be doing it right now, so I can stop and move to something better. We think about things we want to do in the future. You are thinking so hard about how you will grow your followers to 200k when you are at 2k, that is a waste of thought.
The 80/20 of Thinking and Doing
It all comes down to the 80/20 rule: make sure 80% of the time you are doing what needs to be done, and 20% for thinking. The thinking should always be a form of doing as well. You can think while you take a walk, and you can record what you are thinking about. I use AirPods, so sometimes if I really want to think, I press record on my phone before leaving the house and talk to myself on the way. I use an AI audio editing tool to remove the silence and background noise. Then at the last walk of the day, I listen to my thoughts, sometimes it's fun and therapeutic.
What I do now is only think about what I am working on. I do not think about what I need to do next, I think about what I am currently doing. I do my best to get it done when it's time. If I need more thought into it, I think while I am doing it.
Processing deep, looping thoughts requires massive amounts of glucose and mental energy. Use that energy for doing, especially in the morning, while your energy is high.
P.S. I am planning to improve Mat. If you have thoughts on how an AI assistant like this could work better, reply and let me know. I read every response.
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