I so often see people in my practice struggling with the mental/emotional burden of parenting, caring for parents, working busy jobs, commuting, managing home-life, etc. At the end of the day, they’re feeling depleted, worn out, and craving snacks. Pre-menstrually there’s a lot of irritability, anxiety, or low mood. Energy is low, libido is gone, and hormones are out of whack. Phone scrolling and late nights happen because there is no energy/mental capacity to put the phone down and get to bed on time.

There are so many factors that contribute to this, but one big one in managing the hustle of day-to-day life is decision-making fatigue…

What time should I wake up? What should I wear? What should I pack for lunches? What should I have for breakfast? Who is picking up the toddler from daycare? What should we do for fun this summer? What do we need from the grocery store? What should we make for dinner? Where can I get a dress to wear to that event? What gym class can I go to this week? Which extra-curricular are we going to do this spring and when are we going to sign up? Where are we at with laundry? Who’s going to clean the bathroom this week? UGH...

I’m sure you can relate. It’s a lot! And we know this can impact our ability to make good decisions! Some of those daily decisions aren’t going away, but there are a few strategies we can do to help. The more we can go on auto-pilot, the easier it is. Here are a few ideas and examples that I often recommend:

Keep your breakfast consistent - i.e. smoothies every day, eggs and veggies every day, peanut butter/hemp toast with fruit, granola, and yoghurt, chia pudding, super oatmeal... Have a week of one, then a week of another, or a Monday - Friday rotation, or just eat the same breakfast daily.
For dinners; having a rotating schedule can be helpful… Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesday, Bowls Thursday, Fish Friday, Stir Fry Saturday, Slow Cooker Sunday. OR create a document of meal ideas that you can pull from so you don’t have to think so hard every week when you come up with your meal plan.
Make a meal plan. Make it on the same day every week. Make yourself a tea, find a comfy seat and just get it done. This means that you only have to make those decisions one day in the week. For many, a dinner meal plan with leftovers and salads for lunch, and ingredients for your everyday breakfast is enough; but others need to put their lunch and breakfasts on there too. If planning your lunch feels effortful during the week then put it on your meal plan.
Put your supplements and medication in a place you’ll see them every day - i.e. beside your toothbrush - so you don’t have to think about taking them.
Put everything on your calendar with alarms and alerts so you don’t have to keep everything in your brain.
Have days for things - I make granola on Mondays, workout on Thursday/Saturdays, meal plan on Fridays, grocery shop on Saturdays, and fold laundry on Sundays. With that schedule mapped out it feels like less effort/decisions.
They say that a lot of really successful people wear the same outfit every day. That’s not everybody’s jam but I can see how it would be helpful!
Put your bills on auto-pay if you can.
Set a bedtime alarm and an app blocker to turn things off when you want to go to bed so you don’t have to decide.

Try a few of these things out and observe your ability to make better food and sleep choices at the end of the day, your feeling of depletion, and your impulsivity. I think you’ll see a difference!

Decision Making Fatigue