Managing Decision Drain
We’re smack dab in the middle of some serious decision fatigue. One of the most wearying aspects of the pandemic is all the choices we have to make. Vote by mail or in person? Send the kids to school or keep them home? Is it worth it to get a haircut right now?
There are so many choices, so many “what ifs?”, so many unknowns.
It can be exhausting.
If you’re feeling weary (and who isn’t?), revisiting how you manage decisions may provide some relief. Hemming and hawing about the choices we need to make—or second guessing our decisions once they’ve been made—is a massive drain of our energy.
Here are some strategies you can try to take the drain out of decisions:
Get out of your head and follow your gut. The vast majority of the time, our best decisions are guided by instinct. We do our research, talk to friends, spin ourselves into circles. . . and then end up making the decision we were drawn to in the first place. Bypass the spinning, and notice what your gut is telling you. Our bodies are so much wiser than our brains.
Limit the number of decisions you have to make. When you can, set it and forget it. Now’s the time to embrace things like Taco Tuesday, having scheduled times to complete chores, or taking the Steve Jobs approach and wearing the same outfit every damn day. Don’t expend energy on decisions you don’t have to make.
Set a deadline. How long are you going to give yourself to make a decision? 10 minutes? A day? A week? Decide how much time and energy you’re going to invest; when the deadline hits, make a choice and move on. Come up with a plan for holding yourself accountable (e.g., a timer, a friend, a coach, a little present to yourself when you’ve made a big decision and stuck to your deadline).
Fake it until you make it. When faced with a low-stakes decision, act fast. Look at the take-out menu and order the first thing that sounds good. When you shop online, avoid the rabbit hole of endless options and buy the first thing that you think will work for your needs. Practice with small, low-impact choices and work your way up. When you act like a person who makes quick decisions, you will start to become one.
Release decisions once they’re made. The only thing more draining than spending too much energy making a decision is expending even more energy questioning that decision later. Make a decision, then release the other options. If it helps, visualize yourself putting that decision into a bubble and watching it float away over the horizon or up into the atmosphere. Once it disappears from view, it’s done, and it no longer gets your attention.
Allow yourself to get it wrong, and trust that you can course correct. Our indecision often comes from the fear that we’ll make a mistake. Remind yourself that very few decisions are permanent, and give yourself permission to get it wrong. Trust that if you don’t make the best choice, you’ll adjust as needed. You’ve got this!
