Our big brains are superb at all sorts of activities (basically everything you do) including thinking. There's a good reason that Rene Descartes wrote "Je pense, donc je suis" (I think therefore I am)
Having such really big brains sometimes tricks us into thinking we should be thinking about everything we do. This extends to the idea of controlling everything we do too. But control in a real micro-managing style. The potential downside of this is revealed when we think about things too much. Or even just try too hard.
Learning motor skills takes us from the practice mind all the way to the automatic performance mind. When they are in a "slump" we often hear comments about golfers, tennis players, and other skilled athletes that they are "thinking too much about" what they are doing. When hitters are in a slump in baseball "over-thinking things" is almost always invoked as an explanation of what has happened. Having "too much mind", in other words.
The bottom line is sometimes you need to use your brain less. A quote from Haruki Murakami's brilliant novel "1Q84" is useful here. A main character Aomame reflects and changes Descartes quote to "I move therefore I am". Letting it happen is a good way to put your thinking into action.
Source:psychologytoday.com
