Four Ways to Eliminate Mental Fatigue & Take Charge of Your Life

Overcomplicating the minor things needs to stop in 2022

Did you know the average person makes about 35,000 decisions per day?

That’s pretty staggering.

Before we even open our eyes to a new day ahead, our brain starts firing those small and seemingly harmless decisions we should make:

Am I going to go to the gym?
Should I eat breakfast first?
Should I go for a walk?
Maybe I should check my emails.
I’m thirsty — maybe coffee before water?

As we start to progress through the day, answering those endless questions that need a choice, we slowly begin to experience a depletion of energy and willpower.

Then when we finish up work for the day, we’re left wondering why we feel so mentally exhausted.

Sometimes this fatigue can cause creative blocks, rather than a seamless flow of ideas.

We’re fatigued by having to make so many decisions hour upon hour.

You may not even know this is happening to you, but it’s always occurring. From the moment you wake up till you fall asleep.

I’ve searched far and wide to find ways in which we can all settle the mental fatigue to give us space for our family and ourselves when we switch off the laptop.

One — Eliminate the need for decisions.

One of the easiest yet most complicated thing would have make a decision about is what to eat, including snacks.

You can quickly eliminate this by choosing online options like Hello Fresh or pre-cooking and preparing most of your meals.

I prepare our meals three days beforehand — making sure that all I need to do is put them in the oven and make a salad.

The decision has already been made.

There is nothing worse than finishing work and having to make yet another decision about dinner.

When it comes to planning what to wear, do it the night before and lay out your clothes in a particular spot, so it’s easy to grab them when you’re frantically trying to get ready.

This is what Steve Jobs did.

He wore the same turtleneck and new balance sneakers every single day. That helped him save his mental energy for the most important things.

Two: Use the morning for the most significant decisions

Research indicates that the best time to make decisions is in the morning, whether an early bird or a night owl.

The afternoon is when we’re most likely to suffer from our slumps and tend to make riskier decisions.

Instead of checking your emails in the morning, take a look at your goals instead.

Your daily or weekly goals will tell you where you want to go.

The decision’s made in the morning will be made when you are at your clearest. It’s when you are most careful and looks at those meticulous details that will give you the best outcome.

Three: Drop excess commitments

Having lots of hobbies, volunteer work, and sports commitments are all great things — but when they eat up your day and produce overwhelm, it’s time to start getting rid of them.

The fewer tasks you have, the fewer decisions you will make.

More minor choices mean you will feel a lot more in control of the options you do make.

Sometimes taking a step back, extracting the unimportant and simplifying our life leaves us the space to focus on what is matters most.

Four: Don’t make all the decisions yourself

It’s ok to give your spouse, kids and family members the task of making a particular decision. It doesn’t always have to fall in your hands.

Even the simplest tasks like picking a weekend holiday destination, where to eat dinner, what to do on the weekend etc, can be handed over to someone else for a change.

Allowing others to make decisions will empower them to show initiative and start practising that habit in their own life.

Children will also love to play “adult” to take the lead and have a proud audience praising their efforts.

I guarantee, if you make these simple changes in your daily life, then you will experience less overwhelm, stress and more harmony and time just for you.

We all need a bit of that sometimes.

As it’s heading towards the new year, there is never a better time to start simplifying your life so you can enjoy it a lot more.

If you would like to read more articles like this or start writing your own, please sign up via my link. I’d love to see you on the other side.

Sign up here for your medium subscription.

I get a portion from your monthly fee at no extra cost to you, and it will go a long way in supporting me as a writer.