No Willpower? It May Be Decision Fatigue

As I write this, I’m in my happy place in the mountains. It’s taken me away from my normal routine, which of course has its positives and negatives. One surprising positive is that in this small town, many of my choices are limited. But why is having less options for grabbing a coffee, buying groceries, or eating out a good thing? 

Decision Fatigue is Real

Every day, your brain makes thousands of choices. What to eat. When to work out. Whether to check your phone or email, or stay focused… And on it goes. And the more decisions you have to make (even tiny ones), the harder it gets to follow through on anything. That’s why by 4pm, so many people feel like their willpower is nonexistent. It’s called decision fatigue - and your brain is just plain old tired. 

Beat Decision Fatigue

The best way to avoid decision fatigue is to set yourself up to make fewer decisions. How? Here are some ways to start:

✅ Pick your “default meals” for the week.
Think about it: by eating the same two or three breakfasts and lunches each week, you’ve eliminated a bunch of decisions. When I come to the mountains, I plan all my meals and bring all my food (otherwise I’m lucky if I can buy a block of cheese here!). I keep it simple and eat a lot of the same things, and don’t need to think about “what to eat” for seven whole days!

✅ Simplify your workouts.
Choose one go-to option for busy days, like a 20-minute walk after dinner. Tell yourself that’s the least you’ll do each day. Often, you’ll end up doing more!

✅ Batch the small stuff ahead of time.
Choose some easy things you can do ahead of time to reduce decisions later. Set out your clothes the night before; choose a dinner theme for each day of the week; cutting veggies? Double up the amount to save time later. The little things really do help!

Every little decision you make in advance is one less you’ll have to make when your brain’s running on fumes. And the more predictable your routine gets, the easier it is to stick with. So, if things have felt harder to do than they should lately… Start here!