John Cutler · 16 min read · Productivity
TBM 429: How To Thrive At Work When You Think Too Much
Read the original on cutlefish.substack.com →
TBM 429 introduces a personal exploration of thriving at work when you overthink and feel misunderstood. It revisits familiar feedback and contrasts external judgments with the inner value of curiosity, then shares a breakthrough about what you can influence versus what’s systemic. The post uses memory and storytelling to frame practical, self-affirming paths through workplace dynamics.
Key Takeaways
- Misunderstanding at work around overthinking is common and emotionally charged; your value may be misread rather than erased.
- Distinguish what feedback you can influence from systemic or situational dynamics, and focus energy accordingly.
- Your curiosity and depth can be strengths; learn to express them in a way that aligns with team needs rather than suppressing them.
- Reframe feedback as data rather than verdicts, aiding self-worth and practical improvement.
- Remember childhood patterns: guard and protect your curiosity while navigating adult workplace norms.
Excerpt
This post is important. It is the introduction for a book that’ll I’ll probably never publish. Why? I already have! I’ve written it across countless TBM posts (multiple books worth), but have had trouble getting to the crux of it. Over the weekend I had a breakthrough. It has been sitting under my nose with posts like 20 Things I’ve Learned as a Systems (Over) Thinker and How (And Why) We Help . It was yelling out from this LinkedIn post that has 1400 reactions and counting. But the insight was elusive. It was much more core. It boils down…