Do you feel like day to day, you are super busy, but you don’t feel like you get a lot done?

The Key Action: Create systems for yourself.

You might also feel like you get to part way through the day and are just really tired. It might seem like you can’t get through afternoon or evening decision-making. Throughout every day we all have to make a ton of decisions, many of which we don’t even realize. A lot of us unknowingly spend a lot of mental energy on activities throughout the day that really do not need so much of our decision making power. This is decision fatigue, and it’s real – your brain uses a lot of energy and can get tired before the end of the day, creating feelings of exhaustion and an inability to make even small decisions.

We only have some much energy to give in one day, so wouldn’t you rather save your energy for the important decisions? Have energy for the decisions that you really want to spend time on? There are ways to reduce the number of decisions you have to make. It just takes a little planning and structure that you can add to your day.

Here are a few simple actionable steps you can take, and the key throughout is to create systems for yourself so that you don’t have to be making decisions all the time:

Create a system for your mornings to simplify the beginning of your day. For example, do you spend a lot of time figuring out what you are going to wear, what you need to do before starting work, or what you are going to prep for food that day? Think about your closet – can you organize for the week so that you already have a top-bottom combination that is set for each day? Over time, can you simplify your closet, so that no matter what you pick out to wear as a top, your pants will match? You might think about whether you prefer to wear browns and tans, or blacks and greys, and coordinate everything based on that preference. Similarly, set an easy routine for the rest of the morning – have your tea or coffee ready to go, do a Sunday or evening prep of food so that you know what your breakfast will be and what you can do for lunch. Essentially, make one decision ahead and create a system, so that each morning, you are not actually making lots of decisions.

Write a quick list at the end of your day. Don’t spend your day figuring out your plan for the day. Decide ahead and be okay with that decision. I personally still like the physical act of writing, but sometimes I’ll use digital notes as well.  Use a sticky note, whether digital or paper, and sketch out your next day. Think through the things you want to accomplish, and write them down.  Keep it reasonable. And the next day, all you have to do is wake up and work on your list. You’ve removed all of that decision making so you can focus on thinking the task at hand.

Automate and schedule responsibilities. Bills is a great example. Automate payments as much as you can. Use a digital calendar or paper calendar planner. Record deadlines, appointments, calls, etc. Set up recurring items so they automatically appear on your schedule (e.g., monthly flea and tick medication for our three dogs). I live by my calendar, and while some might joke about this tactic, it allows me to be completely free of having to remember what is on my schedule and deciding when and where to get things done. As soon as something comes up, I put it on my calendar, and then all I have to do is check my calendar for the day, week, or month. I no longer have to keep everything in my head that I have to do.

Above all, don’t expect to fix everything all at once. Try things out and practice. See what works for you! And then try again. Figure out an approach over time that works for you by trying little changes.