How to Beat Decision Fatigue.

Wake-Up Call #54

Ever find yourself in a decision fatigue spiral?

Okay, wait.

Rephrase…

Ever NOT find yourself in a decision fatigue spiral?

The pain is real.

I’m not even talking about the big things.

It’s the thousand, seemingly innocuous, daily things that feel like a chain of tiny choice dominoes topping onto you. All day, every day.

Tacos, tuna, or teriyaki?

Ted Lasso, live TV, or read a book?

Oat, goat, or almond milk in your coffee?

Don’t even talk to me about the calamity of tea!

Ocean spray, summer slate, or wild sage on the walls?

Zoom, text, or phone (wait, people still talk on phones)?

What about my job? Should I stay and kvetch, or go and stretch?

Shoes and socks or flip-flops? Run, walk, cycle, or nap?

Does it make the playlist, favorites, share, or not?

What about tomorrow's dinner? Or movie?!

#GAAAHHHHHH!!!

We've lost the art of quick, easy, and good micro decision-making. And, along with it, a gobsmackingly large amount of time that’s been handed over to decision-field death spiral.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe…

We don’t need more time in our days, we just need better ways to make up our minds faster, so we can use the time we have in more joyful, creative ways.

Yes, some things do require painstaking, thoughtful analysis.

Surgery, or not? College, or not? New job, or not? Big investment, or not? End the relationship, or not?

But those moments are way less frequent than we think. Most of the time, it’s the thousand little, day-to-day things that leave our head’s spinning, and schedules melting down.

So, how can we make better, faster day-to-day decisions that let us get back to living our lives, being with people we love, and having fun

Here are 7 keys to easier, better, and faster daily decisions:

1. Stakes.
   
   Ask yourself: “What is actually ‘on the line?’”
   
   If the stakes are truly high, take the time to weigh facts, points of view, precedents, and intuition. Be thoughtful and intentional. It’ll take time and energy, but high-stakes decisions are worth the time, toil, and angst.
   
   BUT, if the stakes are low, and, in my experience, 70-90% of the decisions we make on a daily basis fall into this category, just pick one, any one. If you choose wrong, who cares? There's not much to lose. And the time, cognitive and emotional bandwidth you get back by eliminating needless pondering, pandering, and potchkying (it’s Yiddish, look it up) will more than make up for any decision missteps or course-corrections that need to be made after the fact.
   
   Example: Choosing what to wear. If you’re working from home, and don’t have video calls or meetings, the stakes of your wardrobe are pretty low. Pick anything, and give yourself back some much needed time. If, however, you’re heading into an in-person, professional interview, pitch, or sales call, your appearance, like it or not, matters more. The stakes of your choice about what to wear may influence whether you land the job, funding round, or deal. Take more time to be thoughtful.
   

2. Reversibility.
   
   Ask yourself: “If this turns out wrong, can I easily change or undo it?”

   
   Many daily decisions feel bigger and heavier than they really are, especially when we forget how often choices are low-stakes and easily adjustable. Reversibility is about recognizing when you have the freedom to experiment without major consequences. And, it plays closely with stakes.
   
   If you can pivot easily or fix a potential wrong call and the stakes are low, the cost of the time you’ll lose to decision-complexity and paralysis likely outweighs the cost of a wrong, yet reversible decision. Just make the call and reclaim your day. Then, if needed, fix, adjust, or reverse.
   
   If, however, the decision would be largely irreversible, adjustable, or fixable AND the stakes are high, it makes sense to then spend more time and gather more intel before making the call.
   

   Example: You're thinking about switching to a new productivity app. It costs $3.95/month and you can cancel anytime. Knowing the stakes are low, and the decision is reversible, you try it out without overthinking. Either you love it, or you simply switch back later, no harm done. Or, you’re an IT procurement leader in a big company, and need to make a decision about a new company-wide learning management system. It’s expensive, time-intensive, and would be complicated to reverse out of. High stakes plus low-reversibility, take your time.
   

3. Preferences. Ask yourself: “Do I have a clear preference, or not?”
   
   Zoom the lens out a bit and take a look at your innate preferences. If you have a clear preference, the stakes are low, and the decision is reversible, don't waffle, just gather whatever minimum facts are needed to honor your preferences, and make the call based on that. If you have the facts needed to make a call (dinner menus, thanks), but have no clear preference, pick any option. Toss a coin. Eeny meeny miny moe, and be done with it.
   
   No reason to waste time and energy on something when you'd be equally happy or unhappy with either outcome. And, if you pick one that leaves you less happy after the fact, well how awesome is that. The cost of that knowledge was nominal, and now you know how to choose better next time, without even having to think about it.
   
   Example: The classic, what’s for dinner? I’m gluten-free…ish. And dairy-free…ish (take me to Italy and I’m neither!). When it comes to dinner, I’ll look to cook or order options to honor these preferences, or any other cuisine preferences. But, if multiple dishes can deliver on my preferences, because the stakes are low (see above), I’ll just wing it, choose any dish that works with my core preferences, and get back to enjoying cooking or chatting…or napping.
   

4. Energy.
   
   Ask yourself: “Does this choice energize or drain me?”

   
   Every small decision shapes your energy throughout the day. While it’s unrealistic to always choose things that excite you (I do not advise you to tell your boss you’re only a yes if it brings you energy and joy), consistently choosing tasks and interactions that energize you more often than drain you can significantly boost your daily well-being. And, also preserve your energy for life, and the genuinely harder, more effort-worthy decisions.
   

   Example: It's 4 pm and you're debating whether to join a friend for coffee or stay home. You're tired, but you notice that conversations with this particular friend typically leave you feeling inspired and energized afterward. Checking your energy meter, you decide to meet up, knowing you'll likely come back recharged rather than depleted.
   

5. Simplicity.

   
   Ask yourself: “What's the simplest way to get a good-enough result?”

   
   Daily decisions are easier when you consciously seek simplicity rather than perfection. Which for so many of us, is the exact opposite of what we do. Ever been told, “why do you always make things so complicated?” Yup, me too.
   
   Though, maybe I need to make a spreadsheet about that, do some data-mining, and then refine and optimize the results until they fall squarely within my constraints for a near perfect answer. #kidding #duh #yougetthepoint. Leaning toward simplicity and elegance often helps reduce overwhelm. And, gives you back hours of your life.

   
   Example: You want to exercise after work but feel overwhelmed by the idea of going to the gym, changing clothes, commuting, and showering afterward. Instead, you choose a simpler option: a brisk 20-minute walk around your neighborhood. You’ve still achieved your goal of movement, but without the friction of complexity.
   

6. Alignment.
   

   Ask yourself: “Is this decision true to my values, and what matters most to me?”

   
   Alignment is about matching actions with deeper beliefs, values, and priorities. In work contexts, I’d also fold in your Sparketype® Profile as a key heuristic. These are the things that define who you are and the life you want to build. When a choice is aligned, even if it’s hard or inconvenient, it feels right deep down.
   
   When a choice isn’t aligned, even if it looks good from the outside, it creates internal friction, a sense of regret, restlessness, depletion, or disconnection over time. Using alignment as a quick check helps you say "yes" and "no" more cleanly, without endless second-guessing or guilt.

   
   Example: You’re deciding whether to take on a side hustle that would pay well but eat into your weekends. You check in: one of your big priorities this year is to reclaim your free time and strengthen personal relationships. You also realize it would take you away from doing more of the work of your Sparketype, rather than closer to it. Realizing the side hustle would pull you out of alignment, you turn it down, even though the potential financial upside is tempting.
   

7. Worth.

   
   Ask yourself: “Is this decision even worth making, by me…or anyone…now…or ever?”
   
   All too often, a circumstance lands on your desk or in your mind-space that is either not really yours to make, or is so insignificant or non-urgent in the context of everything else, it’s hard to justify giving it time or energy. Now, maybe even ever. And, that may be true not only for you, but for anyone. Yet, if it comes from a source who implies it matters or endows it with urgency, we often never question this determination, accept it as gospel, and take on the decision. Or, we may just have a people-pleasing impulse that leads us to feel like we have to weight everything for everyone all the time, so we don’t let them down. But, when you do that, all too often, you let yourself down.
   
   Example: You get an email from a coworker asking you to weigh in on which font to use for an internal memo that will only be seen by you and your team. They suggest it's "urgent" because they want to finalize it by the end of the day. At first, you feel the reflex to dive in, pick a font, maybe even debate it a little. After all, they asked for your input.
   
   But, in the context of the onslaught of other projects, tasks and decisions on your plate, if you pause and ask yourself, "Is this decision even worth making, by me…or anyone…now…or ever?" the answer becomes obvious. No. It’s a tiny, inconsequential choice with little meaningful impact. It doesn’t deserve your time, attention, or brainpower. You realize the better move is to either let them pick whatever they want or suggest they choose whichever looks best and move on.
   
   That said, remember, context is everything. If you happen to work in a design shop, where the ethos is a maniacal commitment to matching fonts with a message’s intent and impact, your analysis might change.

End of the day, it’s really about getting clear on:

• Stakes - what’s on the line?

• Reversibility - can it be easily fixed?

• Preferences - do you have a clear preference?

• Energy - which choice gives/takes energy?

• Simplicity - what is the cleaner choice?

• Alignment - which supports what matters to you?

• Worth - is this choice really worth being made, by you, or anyone?

These 7 factors can help bring clarity, confidence, and speed to your decision-making process. And, surprisingly, it often takes just seconds to scan the list, and make the call.

Truth is, most of the gajillion decisions we make are small. But, we often underestimate the emotional and cognitive toll of weighing a large volume of tiny decisions, while overestimating the negative impact of having made the wrong call.

More often than not, you can just pick the fermented vegan-pepperonis off the pizza, but you can never get back the 49-minutes of life, angst, and brain-power you took to choose what kind of pie to order.

With a whole lotta love & gratitude,

Jonathan

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Wake-Up Call #54 | Try on the 7 Keys!

Today’s wake-up call is simple.

Jot down the 7 decision-making criteria on a Post-it or preferred notes app.

Next time you have to make a decision, big or small, scan through them and see if reflecting on these criteria help you make the call with more ease.

And, I’m curious, how do YOU make better, quicker, clearer decisions?

What’ve you found to help?

What other criteria would you add in here?

Share any tools, strategies, or tips in the comments. Always love learning from our amazing community!