The Power Of Avoiding Decision Fatigue

I always struggled to get things done.

People thought I had concentration issues and was lazy.

But the truth is: I had decision fatigue, causing me brain fog.

Not only I was working in the afternoon but also left all decisions to the moment they were needed.

Years passed by, and had the same problem.

But one day, in the summer of 2022, I tried working in the morning. Not only that but close to the time I woke up.

Minute by minute, I was deepening my focus.

After the session, I discovered my untapped potential. From then on, I’ve always done that.

Also, recently, I implemented different strategies - that I’m going to talk about in this article - that skyrocketed my productivity and mental performance.

But first, let’s understand how decisions work.

How Decisions Work

You decide way more than you think.

From a regular decision, hundreds of micro-decisions arise. And that’s when mental clarity starts to decline.

Because of that, in the morning, you feel refreshed and get more things done.

The more you decide, the more overwhelmed your mind gets.

Even tiny decisions do their part to fill up your mind.

For instance, when you think about what to eat, you don’t make a handful of decisions. You make thousands of micro ones.

Let me give you another example:

You go for a walk but haven’t established your path yet. You have to decide where to go. So street after street, your mind fills up with micro-decisions. You keep going. Then, you return home. Get to work, but notice less performance than the last time when you woke up and got to work without decision fatigue.

I’m not saying to completely avoid decision-making. I only want you aware of how your mind goes about it.

And yes, you can go for a walk in the morning - as I do - but try to go through more or less the same streets. You’ll soon notice an improvement in your work performance.

How To Avoid Decision Fatigue

Now, as promised, here are the strategies I used to avoid decision fatigue and drastically improve my overall life quality:

Decide In Advance

This is intuitive. But still, many people don’t take advantage of it.

The night before, prevent daily decisions, such as:

• Clothing

• Places to go

• Foods to eat

By doing this, you free up mental space in order to smash the most important task you need to do.

So before going to bed, decide in advance by writing down anything that comes to your mind related to decision-making.

Create A Timetable

Timetables don’t only improve your productivity but also eliminate decisions.

In the beginning, I wrote my schedule on paper every day. But turned out it wasn’t optimal because of the time required to do it.

Luckily, a few weeks ago, I discovered the power of Google Calendar. I set aside two hours but saved - and still - more than 3 hours daily.

What have I done?

I’ve set my perfect weekly timetable. Once and for all.

I highly recommend you do it too.

For further information, I wrote a full timetable guide (click here to give it a read).

Write Down The Next Day’s Top Priorities

This is a crucial piece of the puzzle of avoiding decision fatigue.

You may be thinking it’s linked with timetables, and in a sense it is; as I put in my schedule “Deep Work,” it is broad.

For this reason, every night I write down what to do in a given time block.

Writing down the next day’s top priorities brings clarity to confusion.

So, to summarize…

If you want to maximize your productivity and mental performance:

Avoid Decision Fatigue.

How?

• Decide In Advance

• Create A Timetable

• Write Down The Next Day’s Top Priorities

These strategies have worked wonders for me.

But what work for me might not work for you.

Try them, then tell me if they do!

Waiting for your feedback.

- Francesco