Lately I’ve been reading autobiographies, biographies and summations of successful people, those who have realized their dreams and gone on to imagine, and achieve, even bigger ones in order to increase my own productivity.
There are several commonalities:
- Get at least 6 hours of sleep each night
- Drink plenty of water
- Exercise (the type varies, but it’s almost always included)
- Surround yourself with people who have achieved more than you
- Limit decisions
It’s the last one I want to focus on today.
Most of us suffer from some sort of decision fatigue. From “What’s for breakfast” and “What’ll I wear today” to “When’s the best time to announce my new program” and “How can I increase profits without sacrificing client satisfaction”, we’re bombarded with decisions on a daily basis.
And if you have children or are a caregiver in any way, the number of decisions is multiplied exponentially.
If you’re looking to achieve more, limit the number of decisions you make.
How to Overcome Decision Fatigue
- Pre-plan your decisions. For example, eat the same breakfast every day (or rotate among your top 2 or 3); plan your weekly outfits on Sunday or the night before (or wear the same basic outfit each day); devise a routine of when you’ll answer emails, update social media, etc. and create a system of what happens when you welcome a new client.
- Switch up your language. Instead of saying “I really want to. . .”, say “I will…” or “I must…” and then schedule time in your calendar to work on it.
- Create your action list the night before or first thing in the morning (based on personal preference) and then work on the most important thing first. Get it done before you’re asked to make decisions about other items.
- Know you have a late meeting coming up which will require lots of decisions? Eat first. Studies have shown that when you nourish your body with quality food (not fries and candy bars!), you make better decisions.
- Simplify overall so that you have less decisions.
Each of the above is important for you, but what about your clients, customers and patients? How can you support them, and your business, by lessening the amount of decisions they need to make?
- Your website. Are the paths clear or do they have to choose where to go and what to do?
- When you make an offer, is it an “either or” or are there so many options that your potential client leaves confused, buying nothing?
How and where can you simplify your business model to reach your goals while helping your clients and patients reach theirs? Comment below and let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts.