Tips for Preventing and Managing Decision Fatigue

Decision Fatigue (DF) occurs when we’ve been inundated with decisions – big or small – for too long. It happens to some at the end of the day and for some at the end of the week. DF makes even minimal decisions feel overwhelming and stressful. To prevent DF, look for ways to simplify your life, put systems in place, and create routines to minimize decisions. Consider beginning with these 4 areas: Chores, Food, Clothes, and Communication.

Chores Decisions

We all have day to day tasks that must be accomplished. But, we can put systems in place to make those chores easier, so they require less of our decision making power.

• Something as simple as getting gas can be a stressor and use up a dozen decisions. Getting gas for the week every Sunday after breakfast doesn’t require much if it is a pattern – unlike deciding if I should get gas in the morning on the way to work. Or should I head out after dinner? Should I get gas after church? Or maybe Monday night it will be less busy at the gas station?
• Consider simplifying your bills by using equal monthly payments option and setting up auto bill pay options. My utility company computes my average usage and then charges me the same amount each month. I set up my bank to autopay it 10 days before it’s due. You can also set up alerts from your credit card companies to remind you of due dates.
• Organize your Home. One of the best things I’ve learned to do is to declutter and minimize “stuff”.  I give away things I no longer want so that I have fewer material items cluttering up my lives. This means I spend less time picking up stuff that otherwise would be laying around the house. It means less to dust/vacuum/sweep around.
• Having a daily routine is one way of minimizing your decisions. If you and your family have routines that you adhere to for different days of the week, you’ll develop some gratifying family ceremonies and cut down on the necessity to recreate the wheel every day. Think of ideas that suit your own family. Talk about it together, and work together to avoid the pain of decision fatigue and embrace a harmonious life together. And most importantly, seek out help when you need it.
• Have littles and feel like you’re always picking up their toys? Put out a big, king-sized sheet on the floor and have them keep their toys on the sheet during playtime. When it’s time to pick up, grab the sheet and pour the toys into the toy box. Simple, but time and energy saving.
• Teach the basics of a place for everything and everything in its place. Having family rules, habits, and customs makes life easier, as you don’t have to rethink every single activity.
• I’m also a fan of the “one touch” rule. Rather than laying something on the steps or counter or table to put up later, put it up while it’s in your hands. You touch it only once as you put it where it goes rather than moving it around multiple times.
  

Food Decisions

Eating is necessary to stay alive. And no matter how tired we are, the kids need to eat too! Meal planning can help reduce the decision making about meals and our irritability at what should be a delightful dinner time.

• I have had several clients tell me that they argue about meals with the hubby, usually due to a difference in energy level. Remember my client example in the article who snapped at her husband for ordering pizza?  Think of ways you can streamline or minimize last-minute decisions. Instapot or Crock-Pot meals are great for this.
• Consider planning your lunches or dinners for the week during the weekend. If you are a “shop-on-Sunday-for-the-week” kind of person, this will work great. If not, give it a try for a month. When we aren’t traveling, it works well for our family.  
• One of my clients, Kali, swears by the idea of creating Mason Jar salads for the week. She makes two different salads each Sunday evening, so her only big decision is which one to grab each morning.
• Try making overnight oats so that breakfast is ready (and, if you are running late, just grab and go). I make instant oats in small mason jars on Sunday evening and grab a jar in the morning for a quick and satisfying breakfast or mid-morning snack.
• I used to try to have a different one for each day of the week, but I realized this was counterproductive. I get a little creative and mix it up when making them, but I just grab one and get to be surprised. No decision needed.
• A dear friend was having problems with her knee, and her doctor put her on a medically approved diet to lose 45 pounds. After two weeks, she was happier, even with restricted calories, because she had less stress about planning and eating food. Life was simpler. Her “big” decision was which flavor of protein shake to drink. After 3 months, her feet and weight improved dramatically, but she was a little reluctant to add in more food variety and complicate her life. She’s not afraid of weight gain because she has a good exercise routine, but she enjoyed the simplicity of the meal planning and lack of stress.
• Buy in bulk or have reserves. Avoid running out of the basics that you and your family need. Having reserves of soap will keep you from looking at 35 choices on the way home when you’re tired and the store’s crowded. A seemingly quick stop for a couple items can turn into the straw that broke the camel’s back. Seriously, this is one of the reasons that I like Costco! I have limited options. 🙂
• The hubby and I typically do not grocery shop together or shop when hungry. Shop solo, so you don’t both use up your decision-making powers. Also, make a list and stick to it. Do I need to mention, don’t shop hungry 😉 

Clothing Decisions

Clothing isn’t optional 🙂 Everyone has to leave the house dressed, but clothing procedures can be mainstreamed to help simplify weekday decisions.

• When my kids were little, we would prep our clothes for the week on Saturday and Sunday. This included checking for missing buttons, potential stains, and ironing as needed.  We made sure that all the matching parts or accessories were washed and available. It’s a wonderful way to have streamlined, decision-free work and school days.
• We also saved time and frustration by having the socks for each child all match. If one got lost or ruined, no worries. And we could easily tell each child’s socks from the other.  
• Many people have discovered the benefits of minimizing. Some people limit their wardrobes to seven of the same type of shirt or four of the same style of jeans, so they have fewer decisions to make. [Hint: Albert Einstein was famous for this.] There is a trend with men right now to get several of the same article of clothing and wear the same thing daily. Think Steve jobs and his signature jeans and black shirt.

Communication Decisions

Some of the decisions we are inundated with come through communication with our spouse and our kids. Having systems in place for the kids’ relentless requests will alleviate some of the stress on you and your DF.

• You’re much more likely to give in to kids when you are running on decision-making fumes instead of a full tank. Let’s face it: every parent has had to face kids pressuring them to make a snap decision because the kids asked for or needed something at the last minute.
• For things the family needs to discuss, make a list on the refrigerator so you can talk about it later. This works for kids and adults. If there is a deadline, it’s good to note that, too.
• Make the tough parenting decisions early in the day or on the weekends to give them your full attention. (It is ok to make kids wait for things that require a big decision.)
• Teach your kids that you will have questions when they ask you for things. For example, if the kids want to go the lake with some friends, you will need more information. Teach them to pre-think what your questions and concerns will be and that doing this will get them closer to a yes answer. This teaches kids to think ahead, so parents are not trapped into snap decision.
• Encourage your kids to be problem solvers. If they come to you for answers, help them come up with their own ideas and solutions. Make it fun if possible.
• Remember that kids these days have so much coming at them with lightning speed. They too may suffer from decision fatigue. Help them to be self-aware and identify feelings.

Other Helpful Tips

Create a repetitive (read “boring”) routine — it really helps.

• Regularly Unplug from social media. You may not think it’s helping to overwhelm you, but it can be with constant stimuli, pressure to appear at your best, and so much to compare to.
• Make decisions the night before about what you want to accomplish the next day, what you will do in the evenings, etc.
• Set aside time for daily inspirations, your favorite podcast, a walk in nature, etc.
• Self-care is crucial. When you’re running on fumes, you reach decision fatigue faster.
• I love the days I work from home. I get up, let the dog out, shower, put on comfy clothes, put my hair in a pony, and have breakfast (usually a green smoothie) and then get busy. I don’t have to think much about this routine, so my thinking and decisions can be spent on writing, organizing, and my clients.

Which of these tips seem most practical for you and your family? What would you add to the list?

Minimizing & Simplifying,