Stop reinventing your wheel with every spin
On her first Monday back after maternity leave, Jen faced a wardrobe meltdown. Between spit-up stains and a schedule gone haywire, choosing an outfit felt like navigating a minefield of decisions. Her coffee went cold as she stared at racks of clothes in her closet, paralyzed by options.
A routine fanatic, Jen realized she needed a shortcut. That evening, she grabbed her favorite pair of dark skinny jeans and a cozy oatmeal sweater and declared them her official Monday uniform. She placed a memo on her dresser and set a phone alert labelled “Monday outfit” with a selfie of her full ensemble.
The following morning, Jen reached for her pre-chosen pieces without hesitation. The alert popped up: one click, one look, one outfit. Her mental load shrank instantly, and she enjoyed a hot coffee in peace. Instead of decision fatigue, she arrived at work feeling calm and collected.
By the end of the month, she never changed her strategy—because she didn’t need to. One fixed decision unlocked weeks of quiet mornings. Behavioral science calls this decision automation, and it’s proven to conserve cognitive energy for higher-payoff tasks. Jen’s Monday uniform became her secret to unlocking a smoother week.
You can pick a single choice—be it your Monday uniform or your next big to-do—and commit to it once. Install a reminder on your phone, put a sticky on your mirror, or simply snap a photo of the decision. Then stick to it daily. That’s all it takes to free your mind, start reducing decision fatigue, and feel the relief of having one less thing to think about each morning.
What You'll Achieve
Readily conserve mental energy and prevent decision fatigue by pre-deciding repetitive tasks, freeing capacity for more valuable work.
Lock in one simple decision forever
Pick one recurring decision to lock in
Identify a choice you make repeatedly—like what to wear on Mondays or what to eat for Taco Tuesday—and decide on it once so you never have to think about it again.
Create a visual reminder
Place a sticky note on your mirror or set a phone alarm that reminds you of your locked-in decision. This cuts down mental clutter by preventing you from second-guessing.
Test it for 30 days
Commit to the fixed decision for a month. After 30 days, review whether it’s still working or needs a tweak, then decide once more and seal the deal.
Reflection Questions
- Which choice do I make every day that drains my energy by requiring a fresh decision?
- How might fixing that choice in advance simplify my mornings or evenings?
- What simple reminder could I use to anchor this fixed decision?
- What impact would freeing myself from this decision have on my overall stress level?
- How will I review and adjust this decision after 30 days?
Personalization Tips
- At work, decide once that all internal emails will use a template, so you never draft them from scratch again.
- For fitness, choose a ‘run-of-the-mill’ three-mile route and follow it each Tuesday without researching new trails.
- When grocery shopping, pick one store and stick to it, no matter what the weekly sale flyers say.
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