How To Beat Decision Fatigue in 2020
Do you ever get tired and you’re not sure why? Not physically tired, but mentally, you just want to shut down?
That might be decision fatigue, which basically means you’re OVER making decisions, and even the slightest choice that you have to make seems like an unbearable burden. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there, but here are a few ways it might show up in your (my) life:
-Standing in the grocery store just staring at all the options for WAY longer than necessary.
-Scrolling through Insta looking for a workout to do but unable to choose.
-Not writing a blog because there’s so much in your brain that you can’t choose what needs to come out first. *raises hand*
-Never posting photos you love because they’re all similar and can’t pick the best one.
-Knowing you NEED to make a change, but have no idea where to begin.
Sound familiar? This is DECISION FATIGUE at work in your life. And our current lifestyles set us up to reach this fatigue every. dang. day. I’m not trying to be all woe-is-me about being a millennial, because I know every generation has faced its challenges. But since this is the one I’m a part of, I can speak to the fact that we have the (first world) problem of having too many options.
This is called noise.
There are a million different options for any single thing you Google. So how could we possibly know what the “right” choice is? One of my biggest fears is that I’ll just be adding to the noise with my work. Which is why I try really hard to never make anyone feel like they’re doing something wrong, or that I know the ONE RIGHT WAY to do something. Because that’s just not reality.
So today, I want to talk about one way to clear out the noise and beat decision fatigue in 2020. I think the most powerful way to do this is by REDUCING the amount of decisions you have to make in a day. You can do this by having systems in your life so that some decisions are already made for you. But what exactly does that mean? Let’s go through that process together.
First, make a list of the things that you can/would like to (mostly) control. Here’s an example that applies to most people.
Food
Movement
Sleep
[If you’re a mom out there cursing my name because you can’t control when your baby sleeps. Just do the best you can, mama. You’re a rockstar!]
After you’ve made your list, you’ll then go through each area and think about what decision you could make RIGHT NOW that you will stick with for the foreseeable future. You don’t have to do it for life, but choose something that feels sustainable for the next month or so. It doesn’t have to be your end goal, either! If you eventually want to workout 5 days a week, maybe just start with 2 for now. Here’s what this step might look like:
FOOD
-I will have eggs for breakfast every morning.
-I will pick one meal I will eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day this week and meal prep on Sunday.
-I will ALWAYS have a healthy snack on hand (stock up bars, nuts, beef jerky-whatever you like and bring it with you everywhere you go!).
-I will outsource my meal planning by purchasing one.
MOVEMENT:
-I will have a designated work out time on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
-I will take the stairs at work every day.
-I will park in the furthest corner of the parking lot to get more steps in.
-I will follow a program that tells me what to do every day (Fit from Home holla!)
SLEEP:
-I will go to bed at the same time every night.
-I will have a bedtime routine to help me decompress (10 tips for better sleep here!)
-I will lay down and rest even if I can’t fall asleep.
-I will purchase blackout curtains, an eye mask, or supplements to help me sleep.
You get the idea. You’re choosing things in advance, which will mean you’re able to put your brainpower towards more important things. Like not having to think about what to eat for breakfast, and instead you can focus on the day ahead. And do you notice how all of these statements start with “I WILL”? It’s still your responsibility to make these things happen. The difference is that when you make these choices once and decide to stick with them, it becomes a LIFESTYLE! You won’t have to make these minute choices over and over every day, it will just be the way you do things naturally.
And this is exactly what I’m about. Because I believe the key to health and feeling great is to
create sustainable habits that improve your life.
It’s not about jumping from one fad to the next to see what’s going to “fix” you. It’s about picking something that you can do for the long haul, and doing the thing as much as possible.
But you WILL mess up, it’s inevitable. You’ll forget to go grocery shopping and have to eat take out, or stay up late because your favorite show was on, or skip working out because you have a headache. It’s NOT about perfection, and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Just do the best that you can, as often as you can. And you can absolutely change your habits along the way when they’re no longer serving you.
While it may seem like a lot of work at the beginning, I promise that these habits will become ingrained in you. So much so, that you’ll feel off if you DON’T meal prep, or go to bed early, or take the stairs. But if you need some help getting started, that’s why I’m here. Check out my services or email me at lexie@wellfromwithin.co to get more info about how I can walk you step by step through this process this New Year!
Here’s my challenge for you: if you’re mentally tired, take ONE pf your daily decisions off your plate by making a choice now. And try to stick to it.
I promise you’ll thank yourself later.