"Decision Fatigue" Is A Thing

woman with brown hair wearing a red dress looks though her closet and holds up a dress as a part of her morning routine of getting ready Every morning when I wake up, I follow an identical routine: 1. Meditate; 2. Put on workout clothes; 3. Insert headphones and start podcast; 4. Open curtains and make bed; 5. Drink glass of water; 6. Let Steve (dog) out; 7. Feed Steve; 8. Make Heejin’s coffee; 9. Make and consume protein shake and supplements – all premade and in packets; 10. Empty dishwasher; 11. Make coffee; 12. Read WSJ; 13. Make mushroom coffee; 14. Start work at 8 am.

My rigidity drives my wife Heejin bananas b/c I follow the same routine everywhere we go, while she thrives on near constant spontaneity.

I maintain my routine though b/c it prevents me from having to make any decisions in the morning; it allows me to move much faster; it allows me to do things I enjoy; and it enables me to be much more creative once I do have to start writing and/or making meaningful decisions.

It turns I am not alone, according to this Forbes.com article about “Decision Fatigue.” President Obama and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg both famously wore or wear the same clothes every day, as examples.

This article from Healthline.com further explains decision fatigue, or the “emotional and mental strain resulting from a burden of choices.”

Long story short: Too many decisions, no matter how minor, wear you out, zap your creativity, and foster procrastination, impulsive decisions, decision avoidance, or just indecision.

More seriously, decision fatigue fosters irritability, depression, and anxiety.

To avoid decision fatigue, the articles recommend building routines for getting dressed, meal planning, and everything else that can repeat on a daily basis.

So, if you want to be more productive and creative, go forth and build routines, or at least appreciate your OCD spouse’s desire to do so 😊.

Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 1197176, NMLS# 310167