Decision fatigue: Why making so many decisions could be harming our health?
Decisions, decision, decisions…
Stay in bed or get up and run? Eggs or oats? Cardio or weights? Peanut butter or Vegemite? Tea or coffee? The red shirt or the white one? Potato chips or chocolate (haha – JK. Have both!)
Honestly, as silly as these choices are, we know that making even the teeniest decisions can stress out even the bossest of humans, when we make 1,000 of them a day. You may find yourself swirling around in the whirlpool of decision-making shouting at the heavens, “Can someone just decide FOR ME!” It’s called decision fatigue and as we said, even the best of us can struggle under the weight of making a seemingly endless number of decisions, every day. Do you ever get to the end of the day and after ruling the world for most of it, you can’t decide if you will have the pasta or the fish? You have reached your limit on the decisions that your brain is able (or willing) to make that day.
And a lot of people think that “being decisive” is just a part of that built-in personality that we’re all born with and there have been many times we’ve thought to ourselves, “Man, that person is so cut-and-dry! I’ll never have that kind of boldness!” Turns out, we can, and YOU can too!
We’ve learned that the magic isn’t in knowing how to make the perfect decision every time. The magic is in simplifying our life, so that we have to make fewer decisions in a day. It is often the sheer number of decisions that we are making that is hindering our progress.
Remember Steve Jobs in his black polo neck top… it was his ‘uniform’ – so he didn’t have to decide what to wear everyday (one less decision, more room in your brain to create epic things like iPHONES!!). Interestingly, so many high performers from all industries reduce the number of decisions they are making on a daily basis whether it is with what they wear, what they eat, their morning routine, their nighttime routine, or even all of the above… allowing them to free up their brain to give space to the things that really matter.
By understanding that we all suffer from decision fatigue…
..we can simplify parts of our day (and thereby automate them). In doing this we remove the need to make a decision and allow space for your brain to focus on other things. But, this also provides the best opportunity for that automated action to actually happen, so let’s make sure it is a good one!
Roll out the same nutritious breakfast every day, Monday to Friday (yes!), fix yourself leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day (yes!), meal plan for the your busiest days so you don’t have to think about “what’s for dinner”, lay out your exercise gear before you go to bed (hell, yes!), set your alarm for almost same time every day (your body will learn that it is time to get up! Love it!), create a form of work ‘uniform’ to simplify that “what to wear” dilemma…. that way, you don’t have to make a decision…the choice is made.
We believe in YOUR ability to be decisive, so take a moment to be reminded at how great an impact it will have on the things you love most in your life! What would it look like if some of these things were just ‘decided for you’? What would your health look like then if the decision to get up and walk was made (and you had to get out of bed to turn off that alarm!)? Or that your nutritious overnight oats for breakfast was the weekday mainstay?
Our weekdays now contain a lot of ‘structure’ in order for us to simplify our decision making and it has worked brilliantly. Look at where your greatest pain points might be – is it the chaos of the mornings? The pressure of homework and dinnertime? The tiresome bedtime routine?Now pick some of the lowest hanging fruit (the easiest options) and where you might be able to simplify your decision making, each and every day. Create a workout ‘uniform’. And lay it out the night before. Get kids to lay out their uniforms the night before too. Determine the easiest and most nutritious breakfast option that will get you through Monday – Friday (quit being a short order cook!). Find a morning exercise that you can do, rain, hail or shine! Meal plan your dinners for the week and keep it posted on the fridge (particularly for your busier days) so that at the end of a long day you know exactly what to cook! Make up the majority of kids’ lunch boxes, the night before.
Its a simple concept but a winning tool to have in your arsenal.
This is a brilliant way to help you become more consistent with your health by automating a lot of your day (in a good way). And let’s not forget that consistency is the key to long term health, not perfection.
Oh and our professional tip: when it comes to things like peanut butter and coffee, there is never any choice. 😉
Go forth, you brilliant one.
Anna & Em xo
