I don’t know about you, but I feel like all day, every day, I’m making decision after decision. What to wear, what my kids should wear, what we all should eat. What activity to do next, how to provide guidance and direction to clients, the right next step for my business, what I need from the grocery store. I actually think this has increased since Coronavirus. Decisions need to be made more frequently, often at the same time, in an effort to ensure my kids are okay, bills are paid, my business is offering value, and I’m taking care of myself. Enter: decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue is common but relatively unknown. Basically, decision fatigue describes our decreased ability to make quality decisions after long periods of decision-making. Your brain becomes fatigued in a way that you might not notice. ? You become less rational and may have poorer judgment. ? You have less mental energy, less clarity and struggle to make yet another choice. ?
As a result, you may find yourself doing one of two things:
??♀️Making impulsive decisions (hello impulse buy, mindless snacking, and angry outbursts)
??♀️Avoiding decision making all together (hello procrastination, analysis paralysis, and indecisiveness)
While these behaviors make sense in the moment, they aren’t effective long-term. So here are a few quick ways you can help deal with decision fatigue:
1️⃣ Make as few choices as possible. This reduces decision fatigue, and makes you less susceptible to falling into temptation later.
2️⃣ Make important decisions earlier in the day when you have more mental energy.
3️⃣ Prioritize the essentials. Does this decision HAVE to be made today? Is it something you truly need to resolve? If not, delegate or delete it off your list.
4️⃣ Have go-to choices. Remember how Steve Jobs wore the same outfit every day? One less choice. Throw a couple of go-to recipes in your rotation, pick out your clothes in advance, make a game plan the night before, all so that it’s one less decision to make in the moment.
5️⃣ Be mindful and intentional about your choices. Prioritize those that truly matter.
What are you doing to decrease your mental load???♀️
