Earlier this summer, I had ankle surgery. After the pain was under control, I returned to my online work. Even though I wasn’t sleeping well and I spent my waking hours with my leg elevated or crutching around the house, my head was clear.
Completing my work was a breeze! I wondered how this could be.
I added up all the responsibilities I no longer performed.
I wasn’t cooking dinner, which meant I wasn’t planning dinner (what to buy, when to start prepping, how to make sure all the dishes are ready at the same time, etc.).
And laundry! Hahahahaha
Since it’s my right ankle, I can’t drive so I haven’t been chauffeuring our non-driving child to appointments or social events.
I’m not planning or coordinating events with other people and everyone is being super nice and patient if something does come up.
Plus, it’s summer, so we don’t have all the school gatherings and I haven’t had to remind my kids about homework, tests, and projects.
It’s been AMAZING. I’ve been making a quarter of the decisions I usually make. I’ve been able to focus so much more easily.
My husband, on the other hand, has experienced extreme fatigue from long days of making all the decisions for work and home. So much so that he lost his glasses. Completely lost them. We looked everywhere and he checked at work. They’re gone and he’s had to order another pair. He clearly has decision fatigue.
Understandably, he’s rejoicing with each step I make towards recovery. While I’m glad to heal and begin walking, I’m thinking about how to maintain this headspace!
To make things more interesting, school starts next week and we’ll be picking up the pace in the Kalka house. It feels like someone has set a treadmill for a high speed and we’re about to step onto it without realizing. I don’t want to feel like I’m always running anymore. How did we get here?
With our busy-ness, we make an estimated 35,000 decisions a day. (Probably more if you’re a small business owner.)
Insanity! It’s not healthy to keep going like this!
Let’s focus on ways to make fewer decisions in your business.
notice what’s happening without trying to change anything
In order to go somewhere new, you first have to understand your current state. Notice the number of decisions you make and when you make the most important decisions of your day.
Try to do this without judgment. No telling yourself, “I should have done this weeks ago,” or “I bet so-and-so can make all these decisions without struggling.”
Give yourself the kindness and self-compassion you deserve.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER
Once you know the time of day that requires you to make your most important decisions, you can find ways to conserve energy for that time.
For example, if you need the most focus for decisions between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, use the time beforehand to build your energy with a mix of activities like simpler tasks, short breaks, exercise, and healthy food.
Although you may be busy between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, there are simple ways you can continue to take care of yourself, like noticing your breathing. If you’re feeling stressed, it may become more shallow. Fully inhaling and exhaling will release tension and almost certainly lead to better decisions.
Once you’ve completed your high decision-making time, give yourself a reward with a walk, time to listen to your favorite playlist, or reading. Whatever you choose, let it take you away from your desk and screens.
Your brain needs this break as much as the rest of you! The moment you start thinking, “I just need to finish this before I take a break,” is when you most need a break. Let yourself have this time to unwind.
CUT BACK ON THE LEAST IMPORTANT DECISIONS
During the lighter times of the day, look for unnecessary decisions and see if you can get rid of them.
There are many ways to do this, such as making a menu for the week so you don’t have to figure out what to make for every weeknight. I don’t always do this, but life is so much easier when I do! I’m trying to recommit to this tip and I’ll let you know how it goes!
You can always turn to the minimalist movement for help. Having a uniform or a capsule wardrobe with interchangeable pieces will make getting ready in the morning much faster.
You could clutter your home with thousands of decluttering books!
Clearing cloud clutter is a fantastic way to cut down on decisions. I make sure to do this with files and email, too. Regularly updating my clients’ standard operating procedures on a quarterly basis means they will continue to make decisions accurately and quickly.
If you’re hesitant to delete files, save them to a flash drive or to a cloud storage service like Dropbox.
Spend 15 minutes straightening your desk at the end of the day
When you put things away at the end of the work day, you give your future self a gift. The next time you sit down at your desk, you will think, “Wow, what a nice desk. I feel so relaxed and ready for the day! Thank me!”
Find someone to help you make decisions
If you’re a small business owner who’s feeling overwhelmed, it may be time to get yourself a Virtual Assistant. They can help with tasks: you say, “here’s a task and this is how you do it,” they say, “got it!”
If you already have a Virtual Assistant and a couple other team members, it might be time for an Online Business Manager. You say, “I have a lot of plates spinning and I’m managing every part of my business and I’m missing opportunities,” they say, “I’ll create SOPs, manage your team and your projects so you can have the bandwidth to grow your business.”
If this is something you’d like to learn more about, contact me. I’d love to chat with you.
Take your time with this process. It will be an adjustment, however, I think you’ll feel a whole lot better. I know I do! I hope you’ll join me on my journey to shed decisions. There are so many beautiful things to see and do when you have less to decide.