Recently, I have been finding myself feeling more stressed, and I was really able to put my finger on why. But then I got to thinking I was constantly chopping and charging between my phones (Android & Apple) as well as other things. Which got me to thinking is my procrastination and inability to make a decision and sticking with because of having too much choice.
If you are anything like me, making decisions can be difficult, but equally I make rash and impulsive decisions such as buying another phone that I do not need. These decision make me feel good in the short term, but I quickly begin to regret that impulsive purchase. I often end up returning it or selling it at a loss. But why? In one word choice.
Choice is everywhere
Every day, we have to make choices, this nothing new. But the number of choices and decisions has increased, which in turn can lead to decision fatigue and generally stress and anxiety. For example,
- What do I have for dinner
- What should I wear today
- What shall I watch on TV?
These are so many decisions that we may need to make daily, which can lead to procrastination and taking more time than they really need to in your day.
Ways to reduce Decision Fatigue
Trying to limit the decisions and choices that we have to make each day can really help to ease off the stress. There are a few ways in which you can do.
Decluttering
Getting rid of the things that you don’t need or no longer use. Generally, by having fewer things lying around your house will mean less choice. Decluttering can be something that people can find difficult (I certainly do) but this is great for your mental health, giving you some clarity.
Decluttering your wardrobe may also be a useful tool. If you just have a small number of clothes that you are going to wear, it’s easier to choose. You could go the whole hog and get the same clothes to wear all the time, and then there is no choice.
I prefer not to wear the same item all the time, but if you are anything like me and will wear the same few items most of the time. So why not get rid of the clothes you don’t wear regularly?
Meal Planning
I try to do this as much as I can. This saves the dreaded conversation with my other half of what do you fancy for dinner, which goes on for what feels like forever with no real decision in at the end of it. Having a plan for the week takes away that conversation.
I have also found that this saves me money. Have a meal plan then allows me to make my shopping list for the week, which means that I am not going to shop all the time. I have found that if I shop day to day, it’s a lot more expensive than if I shop weekly.
Live a simpler life
Reduce the number of things in your life. Having so much on or things that you have committed to, like Hobbies, can be overwhelming. I am not saying don’t have commitments or hobbies, just assess which ones are the most important to you and stop the others.
Put in place routines
Having something like a morning routine in place can help, as it something that you do every day. This means that it is something that you do on autopilot and don’t really have to put too much thought into.
This means you are not needing to make decisions, you just follow your routine. I have found that sticking to a routine in the morning on school days has definitely made it less stressful. This sometimes begins the night before by packing bags and lunch boxes, so I just have to grab and go for the school run.
Choose one streaming site
This may be a bit of a random one, but there are so many streaming services to choose from today. At one point we had Sky, Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and we didn’t really watch any of them. In the end, we decided on just two Prime and Disney+ so we are saving money as well as being able to make a decision on what to watch.
Final Thoughts
We live in a world where you can get whatever you want, so the choice is vast, but for me, that’s caused anxiety and an inability to make decisions in a timely manner. My goal is to try to implement so of the above to make my life that bit simpler, and, hopefully that will lead to a less stressful live.