The Real Reason You're Always Tired: Decision Fatigue. 8 Tips To Get Your Energy Back.

A friend recently told me, "I don't know how you're always so organized," and I replied, "It requires more energy not to be." I reflected on this deeply afterward and understood how much it clarified. The individuals in your life who are "organized" or "well put together" are not fundamentally different from you. They, too, would enjoy lounging and relaxing all day. They also experience anxiety from packing, attending events, studying, working out, and more. They would also rather purchase something than prepare meals in advance. The difference is, they would rather do all their thinking at once, than to have to think about things every single day. Imagine having to think about what to eat EVERY night, what to workout EVERY day, and what to DO every day. THAT'S exhausting. Being organized and having a plan allows you to free up brain space, mental capacity, and overall thinking. You can now direct your energy to other tasks, creativity, and more. We make over 30,000 decisions a day. Let's reduce that by automating some of your life. In this article, I am going to share with you 8 things I do that truly save me time and energy every day. Let's start with the secret sauce: The Night Time Routine

Tip 1: Choose Your Outfit

You probably wear similar outfits to work. Whether you're in retail, banking, painting, or a corporate office, there's a specific "look" you're aiming for. Why waste valuable mental energy in the morning deciding what to wear? Lay out your clothes the night before. Our brains have the most energy in the morning, but it often gets depleted by making unnecessary decisions. Don't let "What to wear" be one of them. In fact, simplify even further by wearing the same outfits consistently! This takes just 5 minutes of your time but will save you much more in the morning. You're already going to be tired from a long day so you will pick a very simple outfit which is all you need. I quite literally rotate out the same outfits and there is no shame in my game. When you get tired of wearing the olf outfits, buy new ones. This will be a one time occurrence versus an everyday stressor.

Tip 2: Pack Your Bags

Perhaps you head to the gym immediately after work. Maybe you bring your lunch to the office. You might have a "work bag" containing your computer, folders, wallet, and other essentials. Great. Prepare it the night before so it's ready in the morning. Fill up your water bottle so it's ready for you. Go ahead and sit the coffee out. Avoid wasting valuable mental energy and time scrambling to gather everything in the morning. Now you're running late, feeling stressed, and probably STILL forgetting something. It's not worth the hassle.

Tip 3: Decompress

After a full day of mental effort, your brain is drained. Take some time to relax. This doesn't involve watching YouTube videos, TV, or browsing social media, as these activities also demand decision-making. Questions like "What should I watch?" or "How long should I watch?" can actually tire you further. Instead, spend a moment in silence, take a shower or bath, make a cup of tea, or do anything that offers you some peace and quiet for a while. This helps you regain some of your time and energy.

Tip 4: Have A Consistent Bed Time

Part of the reason steps 1-3 are so effective is due to step 4. Being aware that I need to be in bed between 9-10pm limits the time I have to accomplish the first three tips. Without a set bedtime, I would stay up all night procrastinating, miss out on a good night's sleep, and begin an already tiring day even more exhausted. I don't fall asleep with the TV on or my phone nearby. I just get into bed and go to sleep. It's not that I dislike watching TV or that I'm not a night owl (although I'm not). It's not that I wouldn't enjoy catching up on emails or watching some of my favorite videos. I simply recognize that if I indulge in these brief pleasures, I'll face an unpleasant day. I'm prepared to sacrifice one for the greater benefit. I know myself. Some of us are insane. We repeat the same actions expecting different results. If I know going to bed late is going to have me cranky in the morning, tired, and unproductive why would I continue to do it? The key is to know yourself and set yourself up for success.

Tip 5: Plan Your Day

Don't leave it to chance. Live each day with intention. If you don't organize your day, life will organize it for you. How often have you said, "I don't know where the day went," "I did so much today, yet achieved nothing important," or "I have no idea what my plans are today"? I understand. Not every moment of your life needs to be scheduled, BUT we should at least identify the top 3 things we need or want to accomplish each day. If your main goal is to improve your fitness, exercising daily should be a priority. If you're aiming to advance your career or manage your own business, dedicating time to study or make sales calls every day is essential. If you aim to enhance your relationships, you should connect with a loved one daily. So, before you go to bed, jot down 3 tasks you'd like to complete the next day. You're setting an intention and can carry it out the following day instead of letting life dictate your actions, which often results in doing a lot for others and nothing for yourself.

Bonus Tip: Buy a Planner. Get the thoughts out of your mind and onto paper.

Tip 6: Meal Prep

We've discussed the nighttime routine extensively, so let's shift to some daytime tips. In my view, deciding "What to eat?" is the most stressful daily decision. Eliminate it. Dedicate 30-45 minutes one day to plan your meals for the week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Choose two options for each meal. Then, create a grocery list and purchase the ingredients. Finally, select two days for meal prep; I prefer Sundays and Wednesdays. On Sunday, prepare everything you need until Wednesday, and on Wednesday, prep for the rest of the week until Sunday. This way, Monday through Friday, you won't need to think about meals—they're ready in your fridge (Saturday might be your planning day, hence its exclusion from the list). Would you rather spend one day planning meals or seven? Consider the cooking time, too. Would you rather spend three hours a week meal prepping or cook every day? As mentioned earlier, organized people aren't different from you. They simply anticipate their laziness and prepare in advance. We make the worst decisions when we are stressed, sleepy, and (you guessed it), hungry.

Tip 7: Maximize Your Morning

Imagine this scenario. You've completed tips 1-6. You wake up on a Monday morning feeling refreshed, with your clothes laid out, your work bag packed, your water bottle filled and ready, and your meals for the day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—prepared and stored in the fridge. You glance at your planner and see the top three tasks for the day: "Call Mom, Prospect Call For Business, and Workout." Notice how calming this is? You've awoken to a tidy and organized environment. There's no chaos. No need to think. Everything is set! Now you have the mental clarity to focus. So what's next? Here's the plan: tackle your most important tasks. Strike while the iron is hot. By handling these tasks in advance, you've freed up mental space to concentrate on what's crucial before the day's fatigue sets in. So, exercise first (before you get tired). Call your mom (before you're caught up in unexpected meetings), and make that business call (before brain fog hits and you consider rescheduling). Get up and start. I'm not suggesting you hop out of bed and turn your swag on (am I showing my age?).

You can enjoy a slow morning. Wake up, linger in bed, journal, read, etc. But after that "power hour," it's time to get to work. And what does this accomplish? By 1pm, you're finished. You've completed everything necessary for the day, leaving you time for routine tasks (like work) or even better, to do nothing at all. You can just relax. Now, imagine you didn't do this. You'd wake up, scramble to decide what to wear. With no breakfast, you'd buy something on the way. Without a packed lunch, you'd be hungry and have to buy something again. Already tired, you'd skip the workout. You'd attend the business call, but struggle to think clearly, forgetting key points, and your poor mom is still waiting for your call. What could have been done by 1pm now stretches to 8pm. You're stressed, feeling unaccomplished, criticizing yourself, feeling terrible, craving a dopamine boost, so you lie in bed and scroll on your phone for hours. It's midnight. You're still awake and need to be up in six hours... and the cycle repeats. Don't do this to yourself. I know it seems like a lot of work to be organized, but I guarantee you, it's more energy not to be.

Tip 8: Automate Parts of Your Life

Spontaneity is overrated. People frequently say, "I get bored of routine." We all experience this in some manner. Instead of abandoning routine, find ways to make it exciting. If meal prepping on Wednesdays and Sundays becomes dull, try switching it to Tuesdays and Saturdays occasionally. Invite friends over to cook together. You're still prepping meals twice a week. If you're tired of going to the gym at 8:00 am every day, try going at 10 or do a home workout. Explore a new workout class instead of your usual routine. You're still exercising daily. If calling your mom feels monotonous, FaceTime her from a coffee shop or have a virtual lunch date. You're still maintaining that connection. I understand that routines can feel mechanical, but they're part of life. Even without a career or goals, you'd still tire of repetitive tasks. As mentioned, once tasks are done, they're done, leaving you time for spontaneous activities. Personally, I thrive being busy because I have many things I'd like to accomplish in this lifetime, so I always have something to do, and I'm content with that. If you prefer a simpler life, this approach is ideal for you because you'll truly only have a few tasks to complete each day and can enjoy much more of your free time as you wish. Automate the stuff that matters and have fun with the things that don't. You already don't want to do these tasks so don't spend time thinking about them either. Set a schedule and stick to it.