Mastering Decision Fatigue

Our time is invaluable, so it's imperative to make the most out of each moment. I love learning about time, productivity, efficiency, and optimization! The insights I've gained and the tools I've discovered have played a foundational role in how I am designing and creating my life. One curious concept I learned about is decision fatigue, something I unknowingly experienced for much of my life.

What is Decision Fatigue + Why it Matters:

Essentially, decision fatigue means that the more decisions we have to make, the more the quality of our decisions is compromised. The quantity and quality of our decisions are inversely related. Every decision, no matter how small, affects us more than we may realize. Natacha Duke highlights the phenomenon of decision fatigue and its physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual impacts. We spend so much time thinking and deciding. Much of our energy is consumed by unimportant decisions, which can compromise the quality of significant ones. By automating, delegating, and eliminating small decisions, we can devote more time and energy to what truly matters.

Factors that lead to decision fatigue:

Perfectionist Tendencies | High Volume of Decisions | Decisions Involving Others | Navigating Challenges | Facing Uncertainty

Completion > Perfection

Personally, I used to exhibit perfectionist tendencies, leading to a great deal of indecision and decision fatigue. I pressured myself to make the “right” decision, often resulting in overwhelm and avoidance. However, "done is better than perfect." It's better to make a decision and take aligned action than be paralyzed by seeking perfection. Action creates movement, momentum, and clarity, whereas inaction leads to stagnation, avoidance, and confusion. By making decisions sooner, you reduce the likelihood of experiencing decision fatigue and indecision.
 

Making it Right

One of my mentor’s speaks about making a decision and making it the “right” one regardless of the consequences. Either way you will win or you will learn. There is always wisdom to be gleaned. Learn to see everything as feedback, this will help you step into a growth mindset. You will begin to trust that every decision you make leads to a wiser, stronger version of yourself. This alleviates some of the pressure you may experience when making decisions. When you make it the right decision you reduce the amount of energy you expend analyzing it or feeling regret. This helps you feel more empowered and ask “what did I learn?” instead of “why didn't I make the other decision?” which keeps us looping in the past instead of gleaning the wisdom and moving forward. When we see our perceived failures and mistakes as lessons, our relationship with making decisions changes. And ultimately, our relationship with ourselves becomes stronger.
 

Learning Through Contrast

I often discover what I want by experiencing what I don’t want. This is what it means to learn through contrast. Sometimes, we believe we need to know exactly what we want and make perfect decisions, but the most impactful lessons I've learned have come through contrast. This process encourages us to rise more powerfully.

Align your Decisions with Your Human Design 

One of the reasons I am completely obsessed with Human Design is that it reveals our unique Authority and Strategy. Our Authority illuminates how we are designed to make decisions while our Strategy reveals how you are meant make things happen in our lives. If you are someone who experiences indecision and decision fatigue, you might find it supportive to discover more about your Human Design as it will convey insights about you to deepen your self-understanding. As you deepen your connection to and understanding of yourself, the more you will discover your unique alignment. The more you practice making decisions from a place of alignment, the more you will begin to trust yourself and your decisions. You can find your free Human Design Chart here.
 

Short-Term Vision | Long-Term Vision

Instant gratification and immediacy in results are all too often sought in our world today. I myself have been guilty of this more times than I care to admit. Nonetheless, it is essential to see our lives and decisions from a wider perspective and greater context than simply the immediate moment. When we begin to live our lives knowing it is a long-term vision we are creating and investing in, the quality of our decisions dramatically shifts. We make decisions that not only support us now, but also later. When we are caught up in the short-term vision, we want results and validation NOW. This can compromise the quality of our decisions and often leads to us making decisions that feel good now, but are not true investments in our health, life, nor wealth. It is as if we are so zoomed in on what immediately surrounds us that we are unable to connect to the bigger picture of our lives and where we are going. We can forget that here and now are simply part of the path to there. And in living and creating here we don’t always remember we are creating our future – “there.”

Signs of Decision Fatigue:

Overwhelm | Impulsivity | Procrastination or Avoidance | Exhaustion | Confusion | Regret or Dissatisfaction | Irritability | Physical Tension 

Ways to Minimize Decision Fatigue: 

Meal Planning + Prepping — I love meal planning and prepping a few days in advance. This way I know exactly what I am eating and everything is already prepared so not only do I save time deciding but also in preparing. 

Automating + Delegating Tasks — Stay focused on your true zone of genius. What are the tasks you are doing and decisions you're making that take you away from your zone? These can distract and drain you. 

Eliminating Decisions — Steve Jobs and Obama wore the same thing daily so they didn't have to spend time thinking about nor deciding on what they'd wear. The more you can decide in advance and streamline subsequent decisions, the more efficient you will become. 

Consistent Morning + Evening Rituals + Routines — I always do the same thing in the morning that way there is never the question of “what will I do?” nor “what should I do?” I get up and I KNOW what I will do. I stay consistent with my hydration, movement, and practices because I feel my best when I do. This consistency regulates the nervous system and minimizes excess stress.

Scheduling — I always schedule classes, workouts, and meetings in advance that way when I look at my calendar I have a glimpse of my week and can prepare myself and my mind accordingly. This eliminates the possibility for decision fatigue to creep in.  

Planning — Put your workout gear out and choose your outfit the night before so you simply know what you will wear and how you will begin the day is huge! Designing plans allows for intentional creation and successful execution. 

Movement — One of the most powerful ways to enhance your focus, productivity, and executive function. Movement promotes clarity, confidence, and brain function, which all promote decision making. 

Meditation — One of my favorite ways to regulate my nervous system, clear my mind, and calm my body is to meditate daily. Meditating helps your body release stress from the past and present and provides you with clarity and focus to make aligned decisions. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with me! Together, let's embrace the tools and knowledge to make empowered decisions and align our lives.