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President Obama was famous for preferring navy or gray suits in order to reduce decision fatigue, and we talked about it a lot back then — but I don’t think we’ve discussed it in more recent years! Readers, I’d love to hear all those little choices you’ve made with the goal (or result) of reducing decision fatigue.
We got into this a bit with our discussion of executive functioning skills, as well as my suggestions over the years to have a “default outfit” for work for days when you’re exhausted or overwhelmed in other areas, and recently discussed micro-habits for workdays like leaving a quick note on your desk at the end of the day with your top 3 priorities for tomorrow so that Morning You doesn’t have to think about it.
Super small choices I’ve made that reduce decision fatigue for me include things like these:
Morning Routines
- I put on workout clothes first thing in the morning when it’s time to take my kid to school – I don’t have to fuss over what to wear and I’m already in clothes for when it’s time to work out.
- I sometimes vary my makeup (particularly eye shadow and lips) but otherwise I tend to use the exact same things every day. I do this with skincare also — I feel like part of my problem whenever I try to add a new serum or something to the routine is that it forces me to reexamine the rest of the routine. I hadn’t thought about that as forcing me to make a decision but it’s so much easier to stick with my peptides + Vitamin C + moisturizer + sunscreen routine in the morning.
Money
- I pay all of the bills on one day of the month, and have ones that are the exact same amount every month set to autopay
- I think readers here (Senior Attorney?) have advised to “trust the Costco buyers” and I’ve used that a lot for bigger purchases where I might have otherwise gotten research paralysis (television, laptop, a new mattress)
- I’ve written a lot about my automated savings and automated investing — it took a bit of time to set up in the beginning but now it’s something I don’t even have to think about, and can adjust up or down easily as needed.
Other
- I try to schedule follow-up appointments when leaving the appointment (it also helps my general dislike of the telephone!)
- I tend to eat a pretty repetitive diet for breakfast and lunch
- I check the Corporette analytics once a month, and not any time else
- (I guess one of the things I like about romance novels is that they’re usually written in a series, so there’s an easy decision for what to read next!)
Some of this comes down to habits, too — I try to go to the gym immediately after school drop-off so that it has to be a choice to not go, but I suppose in addition to tricking my brain and removing willpower I’m also taking away the need to make a decision. When am I going to the gym? After school drop-off.
Habit stacking is another tool I use a lot, and I suppose it also comes down to eliminating decision fatigue. For example, I try to do small exercises like squats while brushing my teeth or applying skincare things.
(Another example here, albeit one that I don’t do — repeating vacations is a great way to reduce decision fatigue. One of my girlfriends does this — she and her family had a great time at a specific resort a while back and now every year she books that same resort early. She saves money and doesn’t have to think too hard about where/what/when to go.
Looking at my lists, some of these eliminate choices (default outfit, default breakfast) — whereas others eliminate reconsidering choices (like what goes where in my skincare routine).
Readers, what decisions have you made once so you don’t have to keep making them? What defaults, routines, subscriptions, or habits have meaningfully reduced the number of little decisions you make every day?
Further reading:’
- Here’s What Decision Fatigue Does to Your Brain—and How to Protect Your Energy [Real Simple]
- Decision Fatigue and What to Do About It [Psychology Today]
- Simple Rules for Escaping Infinite Decisions [WSJ] (gift link)
- 8 Signs of Decision Fatigue and How To Cope [Cleveland Clinic]