Your Daily Burden
Avoiding the fatigue of challenges and decisions
Photo by Frank Busch on Unsplash
There are two terms in psychology that refer to roughly the same thing: ego depletion and decision fatigue. When taken together, these two terms equate to one simple concept we all come to grips with over time: that your ability to make good, self interested choices can wear down over the course of a day.
We’ve all been there — you have the absolute intention of working out after dinner, but due to a long day of work, too much traffic, and figuring out what the hell to eat, you just don’t have it in you anymore and would rather watch reruns of Game of Thrones.
I don’t want to get bogged down in the technical here — psychology is not my thing — but I do know that a lot of the research that’s been done on the idea of ego depletion is having some academic problems. I don’t think that’s significant, though. There’s definitely something that makes it harder to make good decisions over time — whether it’s your ego, your willpower, your blood glucose levels, it doesn’t particularly matter.
The phenomenon, whatever the ultimate cause, does exist. And it doesn’t appear to be something that get better by doing it more. So I’m going to give you a few ways to make better decisions day to day.
Schedule Your Day
A lot of people keep TODO lists of things they need to get to and reference them when they have time available. But this is yet another decision that needs making, another decision to wear you down.
Instead, look at that list in the morning, decide on maybe two or three of those things that must be done today, and schedule them. A schedule is a plan for action at a specific time that removes the need to think or decide. When 6pm rolls around, you look at your schedule, and simply do the thing it says.
I like to schedule something during lunch and something after work.
Repetition and Habits
Sometimes those things you schedule end up being scheduled frequently, or even every day. You might do some body maintenance every morning, meditate or go for a walk during your lunch break, or do some heavy conditioning work every weekday when you get home from work.
Repeating things like this become expected and rote. It is a pattern you repeat and not something you need to decide on or choose. Brushing your teeth isn’t a choice — it’s a thing you do. Treat these repeated tasks the same way.
The caveat is that you can’t start giving yourself ways out. If you’re supposed to workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but you periodically skip days to watch TV or something, your habit will soon disappear. Do not replace these things. Do not make them choices — make them things you just do.
I do some joint mobility and crawling work most mornings and stretching before bed. Workouts are done Mon, Wed, and Fri. These habits are not perfect, but the more they’re pressed, the easier it becomes to simply start doing them.
Create a Mantra
Often, folks have short pithy phrases they say that help them know what decisions to make when faced with complex questions. “Take the path of least resistance” or “Lead by example” are common ones. You might also see phrases like “Live every day like it’s your last” or “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I love these things. Packing a personal philosophy into a phrase that belongs on a motivational poster might sound silly, but it can really help reduce decision fatigue if you use it and apply it — it helps makes decisions easier.
I’m partial to “Choose the thing that sucks.”
Do Important Things as Early as Possible
Repetition and scheduling can do a lot for you, but sometimes it’s not enough — sometimes you just need to look at the fact that this fatigue is about time, and do the things you must do as early as possible. This is why so many people choose to wake up early and workout in the morning — they know it’s important, and know they won’t get to it later in the day. They make it a priority.
What’s your personal priority list? Working out in the morning is wonderful, but some people wake up early to meditate, read, prepare meals, or do any number of things.
Try waking up 30 minutes early for a bit, and filling that space with something important to you.
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