# Capturing the chatter in the skull By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-08-21 In a lecture / meditation lesson that I stumbled upon, [[Alan Watts]] had a great series of thoughts on the dangers of overthinking. Certainly, the irony of thoughts about overthinking on a website called [[Don't Overthink This]] is not lost on me. But I believe it highlights at least one reason why we decided to do this: to capture our thoughts as a service toward achieving self-actualization. By taking a few minutes a day to capture our thoughts in a system like [[Obsidian]], we release them from being abstract [[distractions]]. They now become something more tangible that can be molded and shaped without the [[fear]] of forgetting. Our thoughts cease to be a burden that prevents forward [[action]] and instead are logged away, quietly building connections to serve us later. This allows us to spend more time in [[reality]] and less time in something less than reality. > [!quote] Quote by [[Alan Watts]] > A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So, he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusions. By thoughts, I mean specifically, chatter in the skull. Perpetual and compulsive repetition of [[words]], of reckoning and calculating. I’m not saying that thinking is bad. Like everything else, it’s useful in [[moderation]]. A good servant but a bad [master]... > > [Transcription of Full Lecture](https://alanwatts.org/2-5-6-art-of-meditation/) #### Related Items [[Overthinking]] [[Meditation]] [[Self-Actualization]] [[Thinking]]