Decision fatigue is your mind telling you that it’s calling it quits for the day. Think back to a morning when you spent over a hour deciding if the blue tie went with the white shirt or if the red dress is short enough to seduce your crush with. That same afternoon you probably made some really dumb decisions – And no! no amount of coffee in the world was going to help you fix it. Decision fatigue is a conditions that prevails once you overburden you mind with decision making. The result is that if endless time is spent pruning over non-critical decision making – you are probably going to lack the creative juices for the decisions that really matter. No stress, here is a list of decisions you can spend less time dealing with so that you can kick decision fatigue where it hurts:
Financial Decisions
Unless you are an accountant or investment banker, then financial decisions is not something you are academically equipped to handle. You could develop the skill and be really good at it – but lets be honest, dealing with your own money adds a rather large degree of uncertainty when it comes to handling risk. You will find yourself going back and forth changing your mind. The result will be a tired and stressed out mind riddled with the effects of decision fatigue. So why not save yourself the pain and leave the financial decisions to a professional you trust.
Here are some of the many financial choices you can pass on to someone more equipped:
- Planning your retirement
- Estate planning
- Choosing a stock portfolio
- Choosing mutual funds
Your Meal Decisions
You know how difficult it can be deciding on a “curry vs pizza” on takeout day. Choosing what meals to have on which days and what time is the most time consuming and often unnecessary decisions we are all guilty of putting ourselves through. A better way to deal with this is to create a timetable of the meals you are having and on which days. To make this effective, keep things simple on weekdays, with a few set dishes. You can then use the weekends to experiment with new stuff that you can switch into alternative weekday menus.
Don’t let your “pants color” be the cause of decision fatigue
Mark Zukerberg is a fan of limiting the clothes he uses to a few items to override decision fatigue. If such a smart guy adopts such simplicity in his life, then we should probably take a page off his book. Ever wondered why schools adopt a minimalist clothing attitude – it works. Can you imagine picking out an outfit for your kids everyday? If you have a problem limiting your clothes – as most women would; you could probably look at scheduling and arranging your outfits for the week during the weekend.
Deciding on entertainment
When it comes to choosing a book to read or movie to watch there is often a lot of pressure. This is because you are often investing time in a potentially long endeavor. Your hopes is that it will lift your spirits or add value to your life. The result is that you often brood over what book to invest in or movie to watch. You watch trailers, read reviews and probably read the back covers. This long drawn out process is one of the biggest contributors to decision fatigue which you need to scrap right now. Save yourself the trouble and find yourself a friend or family member with similar tastes as you – then ask them what they suggest and just go with it. You will often find 9 times out of 10 that it will be a great choice which you didn’t even have to make.
To learn how to live life consciously and with a clear perspective; read this ultimate guide: A Mindful Approach To Self Actualization
