I saw a screen grab of a Tumblr post recently that said I wasn't prepared for the adult task of having to figure out what's for dinner every night. I'm not sure I've ever related more to a post!
Kevin and I have been suffering from some serious decision fatigue lately. We have to figure out what to eat every day, what we're going to work on for the house or life in general, when we're getting together with family and about 200 more decisions.
Decision fatigue has definitely set in! This doesn't help since I tend to be an overthinker. I don't want to make dinner or order from somewhere that he'll hate or don't want to disappoint my mom by not getting together.
All of these things are enjoyable but the effort of deciding so. many. things. is exhausting.
Combating decision fatigue is as simple as putting routines in place and limiting your choices.
Can you imagine how lovely it will be not to come to the end of the day and feeling mentally drained from all the decisions you had to make?
Create & stick to a daily routine
This is going to be your foundation. Doing the same things, in the same order most days will allow these routines to become solid habits.
When it becomes a habit you're able to finish it quicker and without as much thought. Which will allow more brain power for the other tasks.
We've set ourselves a bed time and a specific wake up time, even on the weekends. This has helped get into a routine at the beginning and end of the days. I also have a very specific order with my wake up and get ready for bed rituals.
What are some routines that help with your decision fatigue?
Delegate the decision
For those of us who like control this can be a really difficult. Have your spouse take over the decisions on where to eat dinner or when to see family. Give them a little bit of info, like dates you're actually free or that you might toss your cookies if you eat pizza again, and then just let them decide.
Letting go of the control in these situations might be tough at first but once you get used to it the act of letting someone else make the decisions will come more naturally.
Keep your meals simple
I'll admit as an avid cook this isn't something I follow as much as I could. I just love trying out recipes but I can tell when I get overwhelmed by all of the recipes in my stash and various cookbooks. It usually takes me twice as long to figure out meals for the week then.
Focus on keeping breakfast and lunches simple and streamlined. We usually don't have as much time for these meals so for time and sanity sake it is beneficial to create routine meals for these meals.
Do you like to food prep? Make a big batch of a specific lunch like chicken salad or pasta at the beginning of the week. Maybe you're not someone who can pre-cook have a go to meal like you always have frozen meals on hand to just grab and go.
While I like to try new recipes for dinner I've developed a list of go to meals that we usually have the ingredients stocked, like my Mac and Cheese Casserole or tacos.
Simplify your wardrobe
In the modern era of fast fashion it's easy to have a wardrobe that is busting at the closet doors. With large wardrobe comes so many decisions each day. Should you wear it with jewelry? What shoes to wear with the outfit? Do you need to bring a jacket? Should you really wear that other top because you still haven't taken the tags off?
I realize that 2020 and 2021 changed what some of us are wearing or not wearing (I'm looking at you work pants that I haven't tried on since March 2020!)
A few years ago I read somewhere that Steve Jobs always wore literally the same thing so he wouldn't have to use brain power that could go to more important tasks. He created a uniform for himself. Maybe you love the idea of just one outfit or if you need a little more variety consider a capsule wardrobe where you have just a few signature items you can make into a myriad of outfits.
I'll admit I haven't been able to completely go minimalist in my closet but there is definitely a lot less then there was before. I usually stick to one or two sets of pants for work and then when I'm picking out a top the night before I don't let myself sit there. I make the decision quick, pull out the top and set it out.
Forcing myself to make the quick decision has really helped combat the decision fatigue with my wardrobe. Sometimes I do have to go back and switch (hello ever changing Chicago weather!) but probably 90% of the time my brain is thankful to not have to think about the decision.
Eat the frog
I've always thought this was the oddest saying. It means to just do something you're not looking forward to doing first to just get it out of the way.
Can you think of certain tasks that would fit that description? I thinking cleaning the bathroom for me falls into that category.
Usually these type of tasks take a lot of our brain power and energy since we're not looking forward to completing them. I have to clear off all the counters, move all the shower stuff, pull out cleaning products for the counters, floors and the vacuum to name just a few of the items and tasks to clean the bathroom. I'm exhausted just listing it here!
I've noticed that when I block out time right away in the morning to tackle the bathroom and just it get done I feel so much lighter. It's off my list and I don't feel like I've used all my energy to complete it.
Do any of these help with your decision fatigue?
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