Do you want less stress in your life? The demands upon us as people living in the early 21st century are intense! We are no longer living a pastoral lifestyle dictated by the seasons and sun. We are largely living lives, working in jobs and navigating relationships in urban settings. Mental load and emotional labour are high which can lead to decision fatigue. If this description resonates with you, this is a tip that’s a game-changer. Eliminate decision fatigue to simplify your life and reduce stress.
Some research suggests that the average person in Australia makes 35,000 decisions a day. Yes, you read that right. Some are small decisions like what coffee cup to use and others are big decisions that will have consequences for years to come, like choosing a Uni course or where to live.
If you’ve ever been in an American supermarket, you’d know that the choices are enormous; there is an entire aisle for breakfast cereal. That’s a lot of options to choose from. More choices might be presented to us as increased freedom, but too many choices can be overwhelming.
You may have heard of Steve Jobs’ strategy of wearing the same clothing every day; a self-imposed uniform. It consisted of a black turtle neck sweater and a black pair of pants. He wore it every day. That one-time choice eliminated multiple daily decisions for the rest of his life. He no longer had to choose what to wear. Reducing recurring, daily choices decreases stress, allowing us to put that energy into other areas of our lives.
A more altruistic approach is to have less, so there’s less to choose from. The minimalist movement uses this philosophy to simplify every area of life.
Knowing your values can also reduce stress. This makes the parameters of any choice very clear because you will have already decided what is acceptable and what is not. Take the time to know yourself and what your values are. Then use that information to inform your decisions so that your choices are consistent with your ethics. For example, for her 21st birthday, we gave my daughter pearl earrings. She won’t buy non-ethically farmed products, so the number of options was greatly reduced.
Some simple, practical ideas are:
- You may like to reduce the number of decisions you need to make later in the day when you’re more likely to experience decision fatigue. Plan ahead and make decisions in the morning while you’re fresh.
- Get some systems in place so that you just follow the process for mundane tasks.
- Put your clothes out the night before so they are ready in the morning.
Work from a meal plan to simplify the shopping and cooking. - Simplify your wardrobe like Steve Jobs did, and buy clothes that will mix and match easily.
- If you have small children, give them a choice of 2 things, rather than many things to eat, play with or wear. This will make decision making easier for them, taking less time and giving you less stress.
Save your decision making powers for the big choices in life. Without as many little choices to make in a day, your stress levels will be reduced and you’ll have more brain-space for creativity and connection.
