OVERTHINK

Getty challenges readers to eliminate their unhelpful thoughts in this motivational guide.

Everyone overthinks things sometimes, but shutting down repetitive thoughts is easier said than done. When left to run amok, these unwanted cognitions can have a serious negative impact on one’s quality of life. While mindfulness techniques might quiet the chatter temporarily, they may not, on their own, eliminate the root of the problem. “What’s commonly labeled as ‘overthinking’ is actually unproductive thinking,” explains Getty, an entrepreneur and researcher, in her introduction. “And the goal isn’t to stop our thoughts, it’s to make them more productive.” According to the author, productive thoughts are those that align with a person’s values and goals. With this book, Getty aims to help readers to recognize unproductive thoughts, including root causes like an inflexible mindset, self-defeating habits, and low self-confidence. As a remedy, the author offers her 7 Rules of Productive Thinking, a list of affirmation-like perspectives that readers are encouraged to adopt to “unlearn” unproductive thought processes and replace them with productive ones. Rule Four, “I Can Reject What Others Think,” for example, helps readers to place the opinions of others in their rightful context, evaluating them on their merits rather than blindly accepting them as truths. Each rule comes with a list of exercises to ease readers into the habit. The book concludes with several worksheets for readers to practice the ICE method (Identify, Challenge, Evaluate) in various scenarios. Getty is a clear and succinct writer, communicating ideas with minimal jargon. She admits to having no medical license, which she does not view as a limitation. (Her author’s note recounts the time she was criticized in a weekly Zoom meeting for entrepreneurs about her lack of qualifications, which she conveniently dismisses as an example of negative thinking.) Though the book does have some useful methods, they mostly seem recycled from cognitive behavioral therapy. In such a crowded field, this slim volume fails to persuade readers that it has anything new to offer.

An earnest guide to forming new thought behaviors built on familiar concepts.