Big Girl Panties Diaries - Entry #41: Decision Fatigue & the 37 Flavors of Nope
Ever stand in front of the freezer aisle trying to pick a pint of ice cream — and realize you’d rather just go home and cry? Same. And of course, in our case, the ice cream needs to be gluten-free — enter intense label reading!
That, my friend, is decision fatigue. And it doesn’t just show up in the grocery store. It’s lurking behind that polite “I don’t care — you pick” when your kids ask what’s for dinner for the millionth time — and you’d honestly rather just serve cereal straight from the box. It’s the reason you scroll Netflix for 45 minutes and end up rewatching Friends… again (but who doesn't love Friends!). And it’s absolutely why, after back-to-back meetings where you’re expected to make strategic calls and life-altering approvals, you can’t even decide which pair of yoga pants to put on.
What is Decision Fatigue Anyway?
It’s when your brain throws up a giant Out of Office sign because it’s tired of making choices. The more decisions you make, the worse you get at making them. By the end of the day, you’re basically a toddler with a corporate title — exhausted, cranky, and highly susceptible to bad choices.
Fun fact: Researchers say we make about 35,000 decisions every single day. No wonder your brain wants to flip the table by 5 PM.
Real-Life Facepalms:
✔️ The Grocery Store Meltdown: Ever stand frozen in front of twelve brands of ice cream — only to remember it has to be gluten-free? Cue 15 minutes of intense label reading, existential dread, and leaving with… a bag of chocolate popcorn instead.
✔️ The Closet Crisis: Can't decide what to wear for a big meeting? You are in good company! (Spoiler: nobody cares what wear — they cared what you decide in the meeting. The irony.)
✔️ The Work Slip: After a long day of back-to-back meetings and endless approvals, I said “yes” to yet another recurring meeting I didn’t really need to attend. My calendar already looked like a losing game of Tetris — but did that stop me? Nope. I still don’t know what that meeting is actually for. But I’m on the invite list, so there I am.
At Work? It’s Even Sneakier.
Decision fatigue loves a busy calendar. Back-to-back meetings, constant pings, and a hundred tiny “quick questions” — each one chips away at your mental battery. So, when it’s finally time to make a meaningful call, you’re fried. And that’s when you rubber-stamp bad ideas, default to safe old solutions, or do that fun thing where you second-guess every word you just said.
And guess what? It quietly kills creativity, too. It’s hard to be innovative when you’re wiped out. It’s hard to lead when you’re too tired to think critically. And it’s impossible to delegate if you don’t trust your team — because then every tiny choice comes right back to you.
Ways to Un-Fry Your Brain:
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Limit low-impact choices. Pick a “work uniform.” Automate dinner. Embrace boring breakfasts.
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Batch decisions. Group similar choices so your brain isn’t jumping tracks all day.
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Learn to say ‘No’ faster. You do not have to join every committee or solve every crisis yourself.
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Trust your people. Delegation isn’t weakness — it’s survival.
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Take breaks. A walk. A snack. A window stare-down. Your brain needs pit stops.
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Create filters. Define “what good looks like” up front so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time.
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‘Decision Detox.’ Pick one thing this week you can pre-decide or outsource. Celebrate that mental space.
Big Girl Panties Rules:
#1: If your brain’s on strike, put your big girl panties on and give it a break. Rest is not laziness — it’s strategy.
#2: You don’t need to make every choice. Sometimes the smartest decision is to decide… not to decide right now.
Your Turn:
What’s something you agreed to when your brain was toast? Or your best trick for dodging decision fatigue before it takes you down? Drop your horror story — or your hack — in the comments. I need new ideas (and a little solidarity, obviously).
Further Reading — Because Your Brain Deserves a Break:
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Drop the Potato: Manage Your Change Anxiety & Persevere Put the potato down — your brain (and your to-do list) will thank you.
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What’s Really Bothering You? Check the Roots. Spoiler: It’s never just about the hummus.
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Sitting in Stillness: Why Doing Nothing Isn’t Nothing If your brain’s on strike, let it nap — stillness counts too.