We’ve all been there. You hit a point in your day where even the simplest of choices seem overwhelming. We often chuckle at the trope of a couple trying to determine where to get dinner, each of them unable to make the final call. We laugh because we know the reality.
Perhaps you haven’t used the term “decision fatigue,” but regardless of the words we use to describe the occasion, you’ve likely experienced it many times. The world demands a thousand decisions from us, often starting before our eyes open, right up until we drift into unconscious sleep. Some experts estimate the average American adult makes in the ballpark of 35,000 decisions each day. That’s exhausting, just thinking about it!
What is decision fatigue?
The term refers to the fact that, the more decisions a person makes, the more their ability to make good decisions decreases. People’s willpower is finite and the continuous demands of daily decision-making certainly take their toll. Especially during times of changing and challenging circumstances—think, a shift within your family, a new job, a new city, voting, an unprecedented global pandemic—the amount of mental energy required to process information, consider factors, and arrive at a decision is significant.
But the good news is, although the world doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon, there are things you can do to protect your mental state and reduce decision fatigue in your life. Check out these tips below!
1. Simplify
One of the best ways to reduce decision fatigue is to reduce the number of decisions you need to make. Whether it’s clothing, food, or your space—the less there is, the fewer options there are available, and the easier the decision. It’s okay to be “boring” in the things of little significance so that you have more energy to put towards the things that really matter to you. Check out the ideas below to see some of the areas that people have the most success in simplifying.
Clothing
Mark Zuckerberg may be one of the most well-known examples of a successful person with a simple wardrobe, but he’s certainly not the only one. Many people have discovered the benefits of choosing to simplify their clothing choices, to not waste time or energy on the question of “What to wear?” For some, it’s as easy as owning several pairs of the same clothing and eliminating choices. For others, it looks more like creating a capsule wardrobe with a select number of items that can be mixed and matched, still providing limited options—and an opportunity for saving mental energy.
Food
While many of us enjoy the excitement of trying new foods for the first time, there is also something extremely helpful about streamlining meals. Save the cooking creativity for special occasions, and go basic when it comes to your regular eating habits. Maybe that looks like eating the same thing for breakfast every day and instituting weekly routines, like Taco Salad Tuesday or Salmon Filet Friday. Or perhaps you’re ready for something that requires more investment upfront, such as creating a rotating two-week meal plan and coordinating shopping list. Regardless of how you do it, simplifying your eating habits will reduce decision fatigue, while also cutting time spent on grocery shopping and cooking, and it may even result in a more balanced and nutritious diet.
Environment
The concept of minimalism has gained a lot of traction in recent years—and for good reason. In addition to creating a more peaceful environment, reducing the amount of stuff you have makes it more likely that everything has its place, and when everything has a place, it doesn’t require much thought or effort to replace it properly. A simple environment also reduces the number of things that can distract you and pull your focus from important decisions.
2. Automate decisions
Decision-making (willpower) is a limited resource. When it gets exhausted, the likelihood of making good decisions becomes significantly reduced. One of the ways to combat this is to automate as many decisions as possible when it comes to your daily life. Implement systems for anything you can think of—laundry, grocery shopping, tidying the house, preparing for the next day, and even self-care! The more routines become habit, the less thought and willpower they require. Every Thursday night is grocery night in my household. My older children have 2 hours of martial arts training on Thursday nights, so I drop them off, and go grocery shopping while they are in class. It can be helpful to mentally link certain parts of your routine, so that doing one action serves to remind you of the next step in the sequence, requiring little conscious thought. For me, when I go to get groceries at Costco, I fill up my vehicle with gasoline. So in the two hours I grocery shop on Thursday, I also refill my gas tank, without thinking about it: Groceries, Gas, and Go! Creating and consistently honoring routines can be one of your most powerful tools in the fight against decision fatigue.
3. Identify stumbling blocks
We each have our own stumbling blocks where we consistently use our decision bandwidth when we may not need to. Take time to reflect on your day and notice the times when you either a) get stuck deciding something insignificant or b) struggle to make good decisions that truly benefit you in the long run. Once you’ve identified moments in both of those categories, you can decide how you want to simplify and create routines in that area of life. It will take practice to follow through on your decisions, but when you’ve done the hard mental work ahead of time, it gets much easier. I used to struggle with deciding, “What email do I reply to first?” when I started my workday. Now I use a High Performance Strategy of deciding who I will respond to rather than what will I respond to. I know who I am waiting to hear from so that I can make forward progress, so by only reading emails from those people at the beginning of my day I am much more productive as I work on the objectives I set rather than the objectives that others set for me. As I make progress on my preplanned objectives, I visit the other emails that I received and respond to those. Having a plan to overcome this stumbling block has been a gamechanger.
4. Do the Hardest Things First
Because decision-making abilities decrease as the day goes on, it is important to do the things that require the most focus and discipline first. If you waste willpower on insignificant decisions at the start of your day, you will likely be unable to accomplish the “hard things” later. Create a morning routine that brings you peace as you begin your day. Then, tackle the most daunting tasks when your mind is fresh and at peak ability. Starting your day with exercise is a hugely beneficial way to apply this tool. You never have to ask, “Should I exercise today?” because you just do it. After exercising, your brain is well primed to tackle additional difficult tasks. It’s a great win-win.
5. Take time to rest
Just as your body needs fuel and rest to function properly, it is the same with your willpower and decision-making abilities. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed with decisions, take a break and move around for a bit. Getting adequate sleep is also an important factor in the strength of your willpower and ability to make good decisions. There’s a story in my family that has become somewhat legendary. I was getting to the point of decision-fatigue so I took a day off and went to the beach by myself. I set my phone to only notify me with communication from my wife and kids. My wife texted me and asked, “What are you doing?” I responded truthfully, “Sitting, looking at the ocean.” She replied, “What, else? Are you reading, looking at your phone, did you meet up with someone?” I wrote back again, “I’m sitting and looking at the ocean; no book, no phone (except for texting you right now), and no people.” I knew my brain needed a break from EVERYTHING so I just saw and looked at the ocean for a few hours that day; nothing less and nothing more. When I was done, I was refreshed and ready to achieve at a high level again.
There’s hope!
As the world around us clamors for more options and more choices, it’s not necessary to get caught up in the overwhelm that leads to decision fatigue. With intentionality and discipline, you can create a rhythm that leads to peace and allows you to make excellent decisions when it matters most.