A Breath of Fresh Air Post | How Being an 'Overthinker' Helps Me in Both Work and Management

Hello.
I usually write about somewhat serious topics related to medicine and management, but
today I'd like to write a little more casually about myself.

I would be happy if some parts resonate with others, and
if you just feel, 'Oh, I see, some people think that way,' that alone would make me happy.

I've been told my whole life, 'You should try to be more laid back'

I worry about the nuances between the lines of a simple comment,
I try to read the hidden feelings behind someone's facial expressions,
and I spend too much time on a single decision.

I have always been an 'overthinker'.

Every time I do this, I've thought, 'I'm such a pain.'
Maybe life would have been easier if I were a little less sensitive.

But lately, I've started to feel that this 'overthinking self' of mine
might actually be quite useful in both my work and my management—
I've been feeling that more and more.

In clinical practice

The tone of a patient's voice, the pauses in their speech.
The expressions on my staff's faces, the slightest shift in the atmosphere.

When I feel like something is 'just a bit off,'
I often realize later that 'that was the sign back then.'

For example,
when a patient said, 'I'll come back again,' but their voice sounded somehow weak.
When I reached out to them right then and there, it turned out they were actually feeling anxious or hesitant.

Because I worry too much, I notice things.
There are moments when my 'over-feeling self' becomes a strength that allows me to support my patients.

In management

In clinic management, both 'numbers' and 'people' exist.
If you focus on only one, you lose your balance.

Even if sales are growing,
it's meaningless if the staff is exhausted or patients are leaving.

When I start a new system or initiative, I can't help but imagine:

'How will so-and-so feel about this?'
'Is this within a reasonable range for the staff?'
'Is this flow truly easy to understand for the patients?'

I feel that my tendency to think about things to a troublesome degree
acts as a filter that, in the end, helps me make 'choices with less friction.'

Instead of 'changing,' I'm 'utilizing'

I used to think, 'I have to do something about this personality.'
But now, I am gradually steering toward 'utilizing' it rather than 'changing' it.

Takes time to make decisions → Set a deadline to push yourself forward
Feel things too deeply → Use it as empathy
Sense bad premonitions → Use it for risk assessment

In this way, I am gradually cultivating a sense of turning my own 'troublesome' traits into weapons.

In conclusion

People who overthink are not suited for work or management—
I used to seriously believe that.

But now, I feel that there are relationships I could only build, and troubles I could only prevent, because I am an 'overthinker'.

If you also have parts of your personality that you honestly find a bit troublesome,
the day may come when that 'troublesomeness' proves useful to someone else.

Holding onto that small hope, I continue to work today.