Tips for Reducing Decision Fatigue

Making decisions is not easy for a lot of people, but if you find that your ability to make 
decisions becomes more difficult and overwhelming the more you have to make them, 
then you might be suffering from decision fatigue.

Decision fatigue occurs when the quality of your decisions begins lowering over time, 
because you are so exhausted from all the choices you have to make. But the good 
news is there are many tips you can use to deal with decision fatigue, and still make all 
those important choices you need to make in your work and your life.


Journal it Out First

The first thing you might want to do when you are dealing with decision fatigue is write 
everything down in your journal. This not only helps when you get to the point where 
you have decision fatigue, but any time you are trying to make a decision. 

If you can get into the habit of writing out your pros and cons when making a decision, 
this will become a natural instinct. Instead of just rushing into your decisions (with the 
exception of following your instincts), you are able to put more thought into it and 
process your emotions with your journal.

So many decisions get made for the wrong reasons, but when you write out your 
thoughts about it first, suddenly you find the clarity you were searching for.


Use a Capsule Wardrobe

Try to think of the areas of your life where you have to make decisions, and you would 
rather not. Maybe you are someone who struggles deciding what to wear each day. 
There are actually many ways to simplify this process, starting with having a capsule 
wardrobe.

A capsule wardrobe is one where you have a limited number of clothing pieces, but they 
all are interchangeable and can work together to make outfits.

For example, you might have a lot of blacks and other neutral colors, including solids 
and patterns. Every shirt would go with every pair of pants, and all your shoes all work 
with every outfit. That way, it is very easy to just pick and choose, and make dozens of 
different outfits with a minimal number of clothing items.

This helps reduce the decision making because you can grab anything and it will look 
great as an outfit. 


Go With Your First Instinct

Get into the habit of just going with your gut and making a fast decision, without 
regretting it or double guessing yourself. The faster you can make decisions and the 
more you trust your own intuition, the easier decision-making will be. This helps you 
build trust in yourself and your ability to go with your gut, which you might notice turns 
out a lot better than all those times you struggled choosing something. 

This is different than just making rash decisions without putting thought into it. It is more 
about not second-guessing yourself once you do make a decision. The more you go 
back on what you chose, the more that decision fatigue starts to build up.


Simplify Everything in Your Life

Think of the different areas of your life where you tend to struggle, and find ways to 
simplify them if you can. For example, if you are responsible for making a lot of 
decisions in your job, then you shouldn’t have to make complex decisions at home. 
Have a regular meal plan with the same meals every week, have the same outfits for 
certain days of the week, have daily routines where you know exactly what to expect.

It can also help when you start discovering what you love, so that you still enjoy your 
life, your habits, your meals, and your routines, without having to really think too much 
about them. 





