5 ways to beat decision fatigue and reduce stress

At the end of each day, do you ever find yourself making poor decisions? Well, we’re here to tell you it’s completely normal.

According to Daniel Levitin of The Organised Mind, our poor little brains can only make a certain number of logical choices per day. After that, we simply can’t make any more, no matter how important they are or how disastrous their outcome could be.

This is called ‘decision fatigue’.

In this blog, we’ve dug a little deeper into the science behind decision fatigue and shared five simple ways you can cut down the number of decisions you need to make each day. All with the help of your trusty phone.

Decision fatigue – the science

Science tells us that humans have a decision-making limit. The exact number of decisions each of us can make every day does vary, but once we’ve reached our limit, even simple choices can wear us out.

As much as we might want it to, the part of our brain that deals with decision-making doesn’t put our most important decisions at the top of its priority list. So, even if you have an important choice to make, if you’ve already made lots of simple decisions, you might struggle to tackle a bigger problem with a clear head.

The same goes for the other way around. You could make lots of important decisions and then get completely stuck on something as simple as deciding which mug you want to use for your afternoon cuppa.

Once decision fatigue has finally reared its ugly head, you can find yourself making silly decisions. Like spending a wad of cash on something you don’t need or saying ‘yes’ to things you don’t want to do. Sound familiar?

There’s no cure for decision fatigue (apart from a good night’s sleep, of course), but there are ways you can stop it in its tracks. Starting with cutting down the number of decisions you make every day.

5 ways to cut down your daily decisions

Give meal prep a go

One of the best ways to make your day a doddle is to meal prep for the week. On Sundays, decide what your meals are going to be for the next week to keep your evenings stress-free. You can even meal prep for breakfast and lunch to make your life even easier. Take a look at our giffgaff Recipe Book on the community for some cracking recipes from fellow giffgaffers, or you can give some cooking apps a whirl. Simple.

Top tip: Knowing exactly what you’re going to be eating can also help you cut down on food wastage. Check out these free food waste apps to get started.

Plan your work wardrobe

Set aside some of the clothes that you only wear for work – even if you work from home. Getting ready for work is a lot less stressful when you only have a few outfit choices, so you can dive into your day with a clear head. You can even use your phone camera to snap pics of your week’s outfits on a Sunday night. That way, when the next morning rolls around, you just need to have a scroll and see what you’ll be wearing. Easy peasy.

Plan the next day before bed

Making your ‘To do’ list the night before is another terrific way to reduce decision-making. Jot your next day’s plan of action down on your phone’s notepad or calendar so you can manage your time without worrying about using more brain power to plan what to do next.

Top tip: Building habits through gamification can help make decisions automatic. Here’s how gamification could transform your saving habits.

Stick to a workout routine

Keeping fit can be tough, especially if you’re just starting your fitness journey. Try finding a workout routine that you love and can stick to. If you struggle to motivate yourself, there are plenty of apps that offer workout routines and classes to get you started. Take a look at a few of our lovely member Wsjudd’s favourites. They’re pretty marvellous.

Set a morning alarm

There’s nothing worse than waking up late and having to tear around the house making frantic decisions in the morning. Setting an alarm on your phone will help you create a simple routine that works for you, so you can start every day feeling fresh.

How we’re helping you simplify your phone plan

Choosing the right phone plan for you might seem like yet another pesky decision to put on your plate. But it’s a simple choice that can keep more money in your pocket. As part of our mission to help people cope with the rising cost of living crisis, we’re doing the legwork for you and will tell you exactly which of our plans will best suit your needs. Every month, we’ll take a peek at your usage and drop you an email if you’re not on the best plan for you. Sorted.

We’ve also fixed our prices for the rest of 2022 - giving you one less thing to worry about. In fact, Pioneers rated our Fixed UK Price promise as the highest for making them feel in control. Result.

See what else we’re doing to help address the rising cost of living.

Got more decision-cutting tips? Share your stress-busting secrets with the giffgaff community so we can all beat decision fatigue together.