| name | stop-overthinking |
| description | Use when analysis paralysis, speculative branch explosion, repeated replanning, architecture rabbit holes, or indecision prevents a bounded implementation or evidence-producing action. |
Stop Overthinking
Core principle
Evidence earns investigation. A reversible decision needs the smallest safe action, not a perfect mental model. Read overthinking and rabbit holes.
Procedure
- Stop adding hypotheses.
- Restate objective, remaining requirements, and actual blocker.
- Label facts, supported inferences, assumptions, and unknowns.
- Park branches that lack evidence or completion impact.
- Define one question and the evidence that would answer it.
- Take the smallest bounded experiment or implementation step.
- After the result, act, change strategy materially, or report a blocker.
Quick reference
Search, smallest relevant read, evidence, action. Two full replans without major evidence is the limit. New syntax is not a new strategy.
Common mistakes
- Writing a larger plan as a cure for planning loops.
- Preserving speculation because time was already spent.
- Redesigning architecture for a local task.
- Confusing more reasoning with progress.
Stop condition
Stop when one evidence-backed next action exists or finite completion proof is already satisfied.
