STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME DECISION FATIGUE
You can hear the audio version of this discussion on my podcast at Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast, on Apple Podcast, and many other platforms!
DECISION FATIGUE
Decision fatigue occurs when the more decisions we make over the course of a day, the more physically, mentally and emotionally drained we become. When we are experiencing decision fatigue we will struggle with executive functioning, which can have a wide range of consequences, including impaired judgment. Just like our bodies get worn out when we have a physically demanding day our brains can get worn out too. When we have a day that requires us to make a lot of decisions or even a small amount of really difficult decisions our brains get tired out. It is important to be aware of decision fatigue so that you can recognize when you are experiencing it. This will reduce the chance of making poor decisions when you are too tired to make another one. It will also help you plan your day to make sure important decisions are made while you still have a good amount of brain power left!
SIGNS OF DECISION FATIGUE
Procrastination or decision avoidance. Impulsivity. Indecision. Inability to think clearly or focus. Irritability caused by frustration with yourself. Feeling overwhelmed
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Most of us will experience some amount of decision fatigue as a normal course of life. But, it is important to limit it so that it does not cause excess stress in your days. You can limit the amount of decision fatigue you are likely to experience on a regular basis by making some simple changes to your life.
MAKE FEWER DECISIONS
Eliminate decisions that are not essential or can be automated. For example, you can plan your meals for the week ahead of time, so you don’t have to decide what to eat every day. This also applies to breakfast and lunch. It’s no surprise that you will have to decide what to eat for those meals each day too. By having a plan ahead of time, that’s one less thing you have to think about on a daily basis. Another example is to create a simple cleaning routine. Having something that gives you guidance on what to clean on certain days or times of day eliminates the need to decide what to do and when to do it.
DEVELOPER SYSTEMS FOR DECISION-MAKING
Develop a process for making decisions that you encounter frequently. This will help you respond with minimal effort and reduce the number of decisions you need to make. An example of this might be to decide on a go-to meal to bring to a potluck. When you are asked to bring something, you already know what it will be! Or a standard gift. For example, my niece knows pretty much every year she is getting a new pair of pajamas! The Lazy Genius refers to this as deciding once. You make a decision once on how you will handle a particular situation and follow that each time.
DEVELOP GOOD ROUTINES
Establishing routines for the most important parts of your day can help eliminate the choice inherent in them and reduce decision fatigue. While it might not seem like it would make a difference even little decisions take up brain power. If you have a routine when you wake up, you don’t have to make little decisions about what to do and in what order to do it. You can run on auto-pilot and save that brain power for other parts of the day.
LIMIT LOW-STAKES DECISIONS
Limiting low-stakes decisions can help reduce decision fatigue. For example, you can wear the same type of outfit every day or limit your choices when it comes to buying groceries. Meal planning comes to mind here too. Using some type of meal rotation really helps in having to constantly make decisions about the meals you will be eating each week.
KNOW YOUR VALUES
If you have a clear vision of your priorities and goals, it helps to be able to identify which decisions align with them and which do not. Rather than putting a lot of effort into a decision about something that really doesn’t matter much to you, it will be more clear that it is not worth your time and effort.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
If you find yourself in a particularly decision-heavy phase of your life, making the extra effort to get a good night’s sleep may help protect against decision fatigue. Not getting enough sleep can lead to poor decision-making because of lack of concentration and lower alertness. So, if you are not getting enough sleep, even the smallest decisions can seem like too much. Your decision fatigue will set in much sooner if you are too tired.
MAKE CHANGES OVER TIME
No matter how much we plan ahead there will always be those days that we have to make many more decisions then we have the energy for. However, by really trying to identify those recurring decisions that happen on a daily or weekly basis in our lives we can really limit the mental energy spent on them. Don’t discount a decision because it seems like such a minor thing. All of these decisions take up energy throughout the day. Put aside big decisions if you are able to. When you have had a really draining day wait to make any important decisions until the next day when you have more mental energy. Just pick one thing that you can decide on once per week, instead of seven days per week. Then build on it from there. You will see that the more you can decide on in advance, the less quickly you will become mentally tired out each day.
Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!
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