Do you feel overwhelmed by the countless decisions you face every day? From the moment you crawl out of bed to the moment you put your head on the pillow at night, Psychology Today estimates that you make more than 2,000 decisions each working hour – one every two seconds! And that’s just an average day.
Now, imagine if you’re trying to downsize, declutter, or design your kitchen. No wonder you’re experiencing decision fatigue! In this fast-paced world, where we’re bombarded with endless information and way too many choices, decision fatigue is a real phenomenon that affects all of us. It can take a toll, impacting our emotional and mental well-being.
When faced with too many choices, decision fatigue sets in, manifesting with some common signs:
- Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or hopeless
- Difficulty focusing
- Mentally and physically drained
- Brain fog
- Avoidance and procrastination
- Impulsive or rash decisions
- Irritability, especially with your own indecisiveness
What Triggers Decision Fatigue?
Information Overload
Having access to endless streams of information on the internet, TV, social media, and advertisements can easily lead to decision fatigue.
Too Many Choices
While we all like having options, too many choices can lead to confusion, indecision, and poor decision-making.
Perfectionism
Expecting perfection can lead to overthinking, overanalyzing, and overcomplicating decisions. It slows down the process and adds to anxiety, frustration, and the fear of making the wrong choice.
Top 5 Secrets to Beat Decision Fatigue
Secret #1: Set Clear Goals
Clear goals help you prioritize decisions. Know what you want to accomplish – this will help narrow down your options, allowing you to focus on what matters most.
Example: ABC’s of Downsizing
A simple tool I use to help my design clients make important choices when downsizing their homes involves labeling large items as follows:
- A items: Items you definitely want to keep and bring to your new, smaller home.
- B items: Items you’d like to take if they fit and look good in your new space.
- C items: Items you don’t want, don’t need, or won’t use – these are okay to donate, dispose of, or recycle.
Secret #2: Create Daily Routines and Habits
Creating daily routines and habits for routine decisions helps automate your choices, saving time, conserving mental energy, and limiting the number of decisions you need to make each day.
Example: Capsule Wardrobe
Having a small, versatile wardrobe that can be mixed and matched to create a variety of outfits reduces decision fatigue because you have fewer clothing choices to make daily.
Secret #3: Filter Your Options
Eliminate options that aren’t viable or realistic.
Example: Budget Filter
How much money are you willing or able to spend on something – a vacation, a house, a computer, or a home renovation? A budget filter helps you quickly screen out unrealistic options – things you can’t afford or don’t want to spend too much money on.
Secret #4: Streamline Choices/The Magic of 3
Narrowing down your decisions to several viable options simplifies the process and helps you make the best choice by weighing the pros and cons of each.
Example: The Magic of 3
When presenting to my design clients, I always offer three solid design options. Each is uniquely different but satisfies my clients’ needs and “wish list.” For example, in a kitchen renovation, we might have three different designs:
- One that keeps the existing wall structure.
- One that removes an adjoining dining room wall.
- One that removes both the dining room wall and the family room wall to open up the entire area.
Three different designs, three different budgets, and three different results. The client gets to choose what matters most to them and what works best for their lifestyle. By narrowing it down to three designs, it becomes easier to decide, and it helps move the project forward.
Secret #5: Timing Is Everything
Save important decisions for when you feel most alert – research shows this is usually within 1 to 3 hours after waking up. This also helps reduce the likelihood of procrastination.
If you suffer from decision fatigue, either regularly or just occasionally, applying these 5 simple strategies can help you regain control, reduce or eliminate decision fatigue, and make better choices for a happier, more fulfilling life.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How often do you feel overwhelmed by the decisions you have to make on a daily basis? Which decisions are the most difficult for you to make? Is the difficulty due to the number of choices or something else? What strategies help you make the best decision in each situation?
