Do you ever get to the end of your day and get asked a question and you have no other response other than, “I just don’t care.” You’re not alone, and there’s actually scientific research behind this – it’s called decision fatigue. I first read about decision fatigue a few years ago and there’s a lot of articles about how it relates to the business world. But definition though, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making. A long session of decision making? You mean motherhood?
As a Mama, we have decisions to make all day, every day. Some decisions are really big (is my kid ready for kindergarten this year?) and some decisions aren’t as big (what should I pack for lunches today?) but all of these decisions day in and day out can wear on us equally. Making choices and decisions over and over is really hard. When we spend our day making decisions, the quality of choices can deteriorate and I know for me, this can lead to the “I don’t care” and the “Go ask Papa” answers.
Since I first read about decision fatigue, I have been working on ways to try to streamline some choices in our home and here are a few that have worked for us:
- Popsicle Stick Meal Planning – Last year our family sat down and wrote down all of our favorite go-to dinners on popsicle sticks. Some of our go-tos include things like meatloaf, grilled chicken sandwiches, spaghetti, and turkey tacos. I placed all of these popsicle sticks in a jar, and now when it comes time for meal planning each week one of us will just draw out seven sticks. It’s easy. All of the options in the jars are things that our family enjoys, things that we can cook quickly, and dinners that are healthy. It’s so easy just to pull out the dinner, and then I’ll order the meal ingredients on click-list for grocery pickup, and bam, dinners for the week are done.
- Outfit Planning – I once also read that business leaders like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerburg always elected to wear the same, or similar outfits to eliminate the decision-making process each morning. And while I’m not really up for wearing the same outfit each day (well, okay maybe that’s a lie – I’d love to get away with my black lululemons every day…) but I have found a great middle ground in planning my outfits each week. I will admit that I was way better at this when I was working in an office, but I still try to get this done most weeks. On Sunday nights I will look ahead to my week and check the weather and just pull five outfits to one section of my closest. It’s not something that’s written in stone but it for sure makes mornings easier to just walk in and grab an outfit.
- Sticking To A Routine – This one can be tricky as parents, but my husband and I really try to coordinate and commit to routines the best we can. For example, my hubby works out at the gym on Tuesday and Thursday nights. He has for years. I know not to schedule things for myself or the family on these evenings after bedtime and he knows that he is going to get a workout session in at least a few times a week. We always do our grocery shopping on Sunday. Sure, you may have to adjust your routine with each new season based on school and sports schedules, but that is sure a lot easier than figuring it out each week.
- Delegate – Who picks out my five-year-olds outfits each day? Not me. He loves doing it and while there are certainly some days that I question his fashion sense, he’s the one wearing it, not me. It doesn’t really matter what he wears to school and it’s one decision off of my plate each morning. Keep a list of all of the decisions that you are making throughout the week and evaluate if there is someone else who could be making those choices for you.
- Find An Expert – I know that working out is important, but for a long time I just didn’t have the energy to plan and coordinate my workouts. So, I started working out with a personal trainer and it was amazing because all I had to do was show up to the gym and follow my plan. I let the expert make the choices. And while, yes, hiring a personal trainer can be a big expense, there are lots of ways to apply this. If you love running, check out Pinterest for some training plans and follow a ten-week training schedule or attend some fitness classes. Find resources online for daily schedules for home cleaning, or tidying up checklists. Whatever is exhausting you or taking up some of your decisions, see if there’s someone else out there who can help you.
Adulting is hard and parenting is harder. There are some decisions that are important for us to be making and that we can’t pass off to anyone else. I have found that the more I am able to move the “little stuff” off my plate, the more patience and energy that I have for the bigger decisions. Do you have any tips for eliminating some decision fatigue in your life? I’d love to know in the comments!
