MICHELLE KEENAN empowers people and organisations to achieve optimal well-being by providing customised wellness coaching programmes tailored to their unique goals.
Have you ever felt completely drained after a day filled with seemingly small choices – what to wear, what to eat, which emails to reply to first – only to find yourself unable to make any decision by dinnertime?
That’s decision fatigue, and yes, it’s a real thing. Every day, we make hundreds of decisions, many of them minor, but they still take up mental energy.
Over time, our brains get tired, and the quality of our decisions can drop.
We start avoiding choices, making impulsive ones, or feeling overwhelmed by even the simplest tasks.
If any of this is sounding familiar, the good news is there are ways to reduce decision fatigue and free up some mental space.
- Simplify your routines.
Start by cutting down on the number of daily decisions. Create a regular breakfast rotation, lay out your clothes the night before, or stick to a weekly meal plan. These little time-savers reduce the need for constant thinking. - Make big decisions when your brain is fresh.
If you’ve got something important to figure out, tackle it earlier in the day when your mind is clearer and sharper. Leave the low-stakes stuff for later. - Use the “good enough” rule.
Not every decision needs to be perfect. If something’s good enough, move on. Constantly striving for the best choice in every situation is exhausting, and often unnecessary. - Set boundaries around your mental load.
Share decisions at home or work where you can, and don’t be afraid to say “you choose” when you truly don’t mind.
By streamlining the small stuff, you’ll free up your brain for the things that really matter and reduce fatigue and stress levels.
