Analysis Paralysis

Analysis paralysis occurs when over-thinking stalls action. You keep collecting data, comparing options or polishing plans long past the point of diminishing returns, trading small near-term risk for larger hidden costs like missed windows, context switching and procrastination disguised as planning.

Common drivers include choice overload, loss aversion, perfectionism, fear of regret, fuzzy goals and unclear decision criteria. The mechanism is straightforward: more options expand the decision space, cognitive load rises, the marginal value of new information falls and momentum dies.