Decision Fatigue Is Draining You — Here's How to Take Your Power Back
What’s for dinner tonight?
Can I go to my friend’s house on Friday?
What do I need from the grocery store?
Who will take the kids to soccer on Wednesday evening when I’m working late?
Do I want toast or muesli for breakfast?
The number of decisions working parents make daily is staggering. It’s no wonder so many of us feel mentally fatigued... even before lunch.
While much of the conversation around energy focuses on physical needs — like sleep, food and exercise — your mental energy plays an equally crucial role in your ability to thrive day to day.
The 6 Types of Decision-Making Strategies
When the decisions are constant, we tend to fall into one of the following modes:
Quick – make an impulsive decision just to get it done so you don’t have to think about it again.
Easy Street – choose the option that will cause the least resistance from your kids or others.
Offload – delegate or pass the decision on to someone else you trust.
Head in the Sand – avoid or ignore the decision altogether.
Weighing Up – consider all the pros and cons before deciding.
First Things First – prioritise decisions that have the greatest impact.
When you’re navigating work, parenting, relationships and personal wellbeing, “First Things First” is the strategy that keeps you anchored. Focusing on the decisions that actually matter helps create mental space — for your kids, your work, your relationships and yourself.
Stephen Covey, in his book First Things First, writes:
“For long-term success, organise and execute around your most important priorities.”
You’re Making More Decisions Than You Think
It’s estimated that adults make around 35,000 decisions per day, while children make about 3,000. One Cornell study even found that we make over 226 decisions a day on food alone.
No wonder so many of us reach the end of the day unable to decide what’s for dinner.
As mummy blogger, Momming so perfectly put it:
“I’m all for being a parent and feeding them and stuff, but planning dinner every night for 18 years seems a little excessive.”
Free Up Mental Space with Small Changes
Here are two simple ways to reclaim some energy:
Outsource food – Consider meal delivery services. Whether it’s fully cooked meals (reheat and eat), meal kits (cook and eat), or just groceries delivered (plan, cook and eat)... reducing the mental load of feeding a family adds up quickly. It may cost more upfront, but you’re likely to waste less in fridge and buy less incidental purchases in the supermarket aisles — and save your mental energy for the stuff that really matters.
Hire a cleaner – It might feel like a luxury, or even “unnecessary,” but it’s worth asking: Where is your energy best spent? What would change if you didn’t have to spend your weekends cleaning?
Getting intentional about decision-making is Level 5 on the Parent as Leader scale.
Where can you free up more mental space today?
Ready to stop the mental overload and reclaim your energy for what matters most? The Stressed to Best Parent Method has you covered.
