I tend to overthink. And as an old friend of mine used to say: “When I’m in my head, I’m behind enemy lines.”

I’ve been traveling today–drove about 300 miles, just me and the road for five hours. I’m going to be out of town for a couple of days having some conversations about an opportunity that could lead to some significant changes in my life and my family’s life. What a perfect chance to get inside my head and just hunker down with all sorts of fantasies and projections, right?

I’m well aware of my tendency to project, and in general, the less I get caught up in future outcomes, the better off I am. So yes, it is true that in the future, I might have to make some big decisions. Today, however, all I needed to do was show up on time for a 6pm appointment.

Which brings me to today’s challenge: underthink. Because let’s face it–by the time I’ve even noticed I’m chewing something over in my head, I’ve probably already worried it to death.

So on the drive, when I caught myself “thinking through” the implications of decisions that I may or may not even have to make at some point in the future, I did my best simply to release, breathe, and remind myself that all I really needed to do today was drive safely, check into a hotel, and have a pleasant dinner.

No matter what’s in front of me, there’s never a reason for me to put “worry about the future” on my to-do list.