Good evening. Happy Saturday. I want to talk about decision fatigue tonight. Not just, I’m a Gemini and I can’t make up my mind fatigue, actual true decision fatigue, which is defined as … Let me read it here. Refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making. In other words, you can’t make your mind up about something. It can happen for many, many reasons as we go through the day, we’ve made so many decisions that we find it hard to make more, which has a lot to do with ego, it has a lot to do with willpower, has a lot to do with us being tired. Things that affect it, like switching tasks a lot during the day. Maybe you’ve made too many decisions. Example, I was invited out somewhere last week and I was asked where I wanted to go and I mean, you know what? No, you decide I’ve made enough enough, you just, you get to decide this one.
You might’ve worked too long and you willpower’s just drained, so you’re finding it really, really hard to make decisions. There’s many ways and things you can do to actually help yourself and to combat decision fatigue and make it easier to get through the day and actually have space to make the important decisions rather than the stupid little ones. No, I shouldn’t say stupid, little ones, the microscopic ones. Full cream, or skim milk in your coffee, that kind of thing. A few of the things you can do is simplify your life, especially with things like clothes and food. Food preparation, like it might be boring as bat shit to some people, but there are many really, really incredibly successful people out there that swear by wearing the same thing every day, eating the same things for certain meals. I remember reading a book, probably one of my very first Australian written books and he talked about how he went to a coffee shop every morning and they had his juice ready and his breakfast ready, waiting for him every time he got in there. Didn’t have to make the decision and that set him up for the day, so that’s a good thing. We all know the famous stories of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Obama all doing the same things every day.
There’s been a few women that have done it as well. I personally, I actually like choosing what I’m going to wear, so I’m not gonna simplify that one. I do simplify, especially if I’m working food stuff. Plan decision making for your non-peak time, sorry for your peak times. I’m a morning person, so if I can make a decision like 5:00 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM [inaudible 00:02:32], it’s done. If you want me to make a decision at eight o’clock at night? Not gonna happen. I’m gonna make stupid decisions. I’m going to be like scrolling Facebook or making bad online shopping judgment calls, getting dresses too small, that kind of stuff. Don’t do that. Sunday nights a really good time, especially planning out your week and making big decisions that you can see they’re going to happen during the week. Get them done then. Stick to your to do lists so you’re not going, “What do I do need to do now? What do I need to do now?” Because every time you switch tasks like that, you are limiting your decision making abilities. You’re draining that willpower. Stick to like five things on your to do list. Limit your options when you are making a decision. There’s a pet peeve of mine when people say, “Well, you know I’ve got four choices.”.
No, you don’t have four choices. You’ve got four options and you get to make one choice. When you are with those decisions, limit those options. Keep them five max, I recommend you’re doing things. Schedule your life. If your life is scheduled, easy to make decisions. 11:00 AM, I’ve got to do this, 12:00 PM I’ve got to do this. If it’s not scheduled, like, “Should I go get my nails done now or should I go to lunch? I can’t make up my mind. Do I want to drink? I don’t know. Oh.” Scheduled. Delegate where you can. If you can delegate a decision. Makes it easier. If you’ve got a PA or VA, a family member, your kids, your partner, they can make a decision for you, go for it. Routines are really, really important with this kind of thing as well. If you get up at the same time, breakfast at the same time, gym at the same time, get in the car the same time, all that kind of thing, sounds boring, but then when you’ve got, it’s not. Because then when you’ve got a decision to make, you’ve got that capacity in there to actually make it. It’s not boring.
Check-in when you do have to make a decision. I’m a Gemini so I find it really, neither of my personalities can make up their mind most of the time. I find sometimes if I’ve got a big decision I am having difficulties, check in with myself. Am I thirsty? Am I tired? Am I hungry? Am I grumpy? Do I have PMT? Am I bit bored? Any of those things will actually affect your decision making abilities. Let go of perfection. If you’re trying to make the perfect decision, chances are, it’s not going to happen, you’ve got to make the best decision for you or for the person you’re making the decision for, at that particular time. Let go of that perfect thing, it makes it a lot easier. On that, trust your gut, because your gut’s going to know so it might not be perfect, but it’s going to be the best option. If you’re feeling it in here, like whether it’s your stomach, you’re heart, whatever, you know?
Funny story, years ago I couldn’t decide what to eat at a restaurant and this woman in America, I was in New York and she said to me, “Do a Kegel.” I was like, “Hm, okay.” Said, “What you got to do is think of the two meals you’re thinking about, do a Kegel with each one and whichever one the Kegel felt better, that’s the right choice.” Boys, you can’t do that, but girls do a Kegel and make a decision. Stupid. Booking downtime because we all get fatigued, not just with decisions, so take a weekend off, take an afternoon off, go have a massage, go have a spa, chill out with Netflix. Just let your brain just go. When you get that recharge, the decisions will be easier to make again. Set yourself deadlines for decisions. If you know you’ve got to decide on something, it’s got to be done by three o’clock, five o’clock, Friday, whatever it is, set that deadline and stick to it.
If it’s a wishy washy, oh, I’ve got to decide at some point where I want to leave. No, you’ve got to decide on Thursday. Again, makes it easier. Be careful of late night decisions. I touched on this a little bit earlier, like it’s a nine o’clock now. If I start making decisions now, chance I think going to be crap because it’s not my peak functioning time at this time of night, my decision making process is what kind of herbal tea? Do I have a bath or not have a bath? Do I read my book when I go to bed? That’s about it. It’s that’s a little bit for me on decision fatigue and how to combat it. Because I know even kids, you know, even kids suffer from it. Teenagers have decision fatigue. We all do. With it so switched on all the time and they did the dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, with making choices. Do I flip on this app? Do I look at this? I was about to flick my phone, it’s here. Those constant decisions are just killing us. Really, really slowing our psyche. Take it easy, be kind to yourself, trust your gut, and only make decisions at the best time. Night night.