4 STEPS ON HOW TO COMBAT DECISION FATIGUE
Hey there! Do you feel like you make 100 tiny decisions every single day? And then the many big ones?
What is decision fatigue
noun
difficulty in making a good decision experienced as a result of the number of decisions one needs to take.
Decision fatigue is “the idea that after making many decisions, your ability to make more and more decisions over the course of a day becomes worse,” said Dr. MacLean, a psychiatrist. “The more decisions you have to make, the more fatigue you develop and the more difficult it can become.”
I read this really insightful article from the American Medical Association and Psychiatrist Dr. MacLean says “Every day, just in our personal lives, we are making a ton of decisions. And a lot of these decisions you are not consciously making,” she said. For example, “you open the refrigerator door, and sometimes the only thing that’s in there is bagels and that’s a pretty easy decision.
“But if there’s a lot of different things in terms of ... what do I eat, what do I wear, what do I do with my day especially on a day off, that can create stress,” Dr. MacLean added, noting that “by the time the average person goes to bed, they’ve made over 35,000 decisions and all of those decisions take time and energy, and certainly can deplete us.”
We are making so many decisions. How do we handle that?!
We are tired, let’s decide to rest! And really we need a better
Streamline your choices, Lazy Genius Kendra Achachi taught me to decide once. One thing in one thing out helps with shopping and clutter. Make a list for the grocery store, that helps when you are looking for things OR order your groceries online, then you do not know what you are “missing out on”
For a time if you need a simplified menu DO THAT. Mondays are macaroni and cheese Tuesdays are tacos Wednesdays are hamburgers Thursdays are Lasagna and Fridays are a snack board.
Streamlining is not lazy, systems like this work for a reason. They simplify and help us make fewer choices. We decided once.
Decide again what matters. I think it’s smart to do this on a grand scale for both business/work and family. What matters, is what are you saying yes to and what are you saying now too. Decide what matters and then make it happen.
I find that having a quick no-response plan is really helpful since I hate saying no and feel like I am letting people down. But an easy, “Oh thank you for the invite but I am not able to say yes right now because I am really stretched in this area.” Or “Thank you but I cannot go because my schedule is too full.”
Polite and to the point. Make your yeses matter. And your nos kind. I think it was Jen Hatmaker many moons ago who said, A yes to something is a no to something else. And Often times a yes to something is a no to my family.
I think I have said it here before but our two teen boys now have jobs and they are working a lot! Something that matters to us is time together. Jesse and I decided this year that if they are both home and off work we want to be with them and spend time together as a family. Does this always line up, no jesses work schedule is shift work so he is often working nights and weekends but that’s all the more reason for us to make it work. We tend to make the “family night” plans and mark them on the family calendar. We decide at the beginning of the week so we all know what to expect therefore no decisions have to be made…except for the..What will we watch question!
So decide and then plan for it.
What can you delegate? Chores? Meals? One of my favorite things to do when I am feeling stressed out is a brain dump. I take a blank sheet of paper and just write down everything that I am worried about, tasks, due dates, ideas, appointments all of it, and then I take 4 sticky notes. I write fast 3 on one, Top 3 on the next one Next 3 on the 3rd, and Delegate on the 4th I then look at the list and fill up the sticky notes that way. There are more than 9+ spots but at least this gets it off the top of my head and I can see what is easily moved off my list and moved for a family member or someone on my team.
The rule of 3 is KEY when it comes to decision fatigue because the longer the list, the more stress piles up!
Once you delegate, you have to be hands-off. No helicoptering. If you need to teach, teach the task and then trust them to take over.
How can you find rest?
Do you know that there are 7 different types of rest?!
Physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, and creative
I am going to link a beautiful blog that has a quick overview of these types of rest and DR SAUNDRAS TED TALK
in the description. Don’t let the different types of rest mess you up. Read through and see if you find yourself craving one of these more than the others. As I read through this I find myself seeking sensory rest often. I love driving to the gym in total quiet or silence. It makes sense since so much of my work and tasks are content-heavy, either writing and listening or watching and making videos.
Just think about it. What do you need? Finding rest is holy. Seeking rest is laying your burdens down at the feet of Jesus and trusting him.
Last week we talked about the sabbath and what that looks like. Decide once what the sabbath will look like for you!
Let’s combat decision fatigue by streamlining our choices, in our closets, how we shop, and what we eat. Reminding ourselves and our families what matter. And doing those things. Nothing less nothing more. (this can be evaluated weekly and monthly…you decide!) Delegate and hand over the helicopter controls and then rest!!
I would really love to hear from you! What are you doing this week to combat decision fatigue?
I just wanted to take a second and thank you for the amazing reviews and DMS I’ve received lately! Here is a review from the apple podcast by Kriss1012345N READ FROM POST
And a DM I got form KRISTA @moneymindfulmoms
This podcast would be NOTHING without you guys and i am so thankful for each and every one of you and the kind words you share about the podcast!
SO in February! Each week i will be sharing a new review and sending the friend a Starbucks coffee!! So be sure scroll down on the apple podcast app or Spotify app and leave a review for moms at work and maybe yours will be picked, read on air and you’ll get a coffee from me!! YAY!! Thanks guys!
