Decision Making Fatigue: Clearing Mental Clutter to Reclaim Energy

The new year has a funny way of turning us into very ambitious humans.

Suddenly we want to eat better, work out regularly, lower our stress, improve relationships, overhaul our wardrobes, get serious about money, and become a slightly upgraded version of ourselves—ideally by February.

All of that sounds inspiring. It’s also a lot for one brain.

What we often mistake for laziness or lack of follow-through is actually something much more human: decision overload. 

Why Making Decisions Is More Exhausting Than We Think

Psychologists call it decision making fatigue, and that’s exactly how it feels–tired, stuck, unable to make up one’s mind. The basic idea is simple: the brain has a limited amount of energy for making choices. Every decision, big or small, draws from the same mental fuel tank. What to eat, when to exercise, whether to answer that email now or later, even “good” decisions take brain power.

So if you’ve ever thought, Why does this feel so hard?, the answer isn’t burnout. It’s biology.

On average, humans make about 35,000 decisions every day—from when to take a sip of water to whether or not to move cash out of a money market account. The more choices we make, the harder it becomes to make thoughtful, disciplined ones, especially later in the day. That’s why willpower tends to fade by evening and why “good intentions” so often unravel when life gets busy.

Your brain doesn’t distinguish between big decisions (Should I change careers?) and small ones (What should I eat for lunch?). Each choice requires mental resources like evaluating options, predicting outcomes, and managing emotions. When the brain is overloaded, it defaults to shortcuts: avoidance, impulsivity, procrastination, or sticking with what’s familiar, even if it’s not ideal.

In other words, decision fatigue doesn’t just feel exhausting—it actively works against meaningful change.

Why the New Year Amplifies Mental Overload

At the start of a new year, we often stack multiple changes on top of our existing responsibilities. New routines, new rules, new goals that are all layered onto already full lives. The result isn’t the momentum we so desire; it’s cognitive congestion.

Instead of feeling energized by possibility, we can feel strangely stuck. This isn’t a lack of motivation or discipline. It’s a brain under strain.

Understanding this is empowering. It allows us to shift from “trying harder” to designing our lives in ways that require fewer daily decisions.

How Fewer Decisions Create More Energy

One of the most effective ways to reduce mental clutter is to limit repeat decisions. When we simplify the predictable parts of your day, we free up cognitive bandwidth for creativity, connection, and growth.

Think of these routines not as boring but ultimately liberating. Setting default workout days, automating finances, or creating a small rotation of go-to outfits removes dozens of micro-decisions without sacrificing intention.

Another powerful strategy is decision timing. Research suggests we make better choices earlier in the day, when mental energy is higher. Scheduling important decisions, the ones that are financial, health-related, relational, for mornings or calm moments can dramatically improve outcomes.

Finally, clarity beats complexity. Vague goals create more decisions, not fewer. “Eat healthier” requires constant interpretation and can be easily misinterpreted” when stresses start piling up.   “Add one vegetable to lunch each day” removes ambiguity and lowers resistance.

Where It Shows Up for Me: Meal Planning Paralysis

For me, decision fatigue shows up loud and clear when it’s time to plan meals.

I do all the “right” things. I sit down with my calendar to see what the week looks like. I check the fridge and pantry to see what’s already there. I feel very organized…until I don’t.

Then I get stuck.

I have no idea what I’ll want to eat five days from now, and the idea of researching new recipes feels strangely overwhelming. I get lost in too many options, too many decisions, too much pressure to plan perfectly, and my natural resistance to cooking elaborate meals with one-off ingredients that ultimately linger toward expiration in my pantry. 

Meal planning asks me to predict my future moods, schedules, energy levels, and appetites, something humans are not particularly good at. Add with expectations around health, variety, and budget, it’s no wonder the process has me stalling out. 

Making Fewer Decisions (Without Giving Up on Eating Well)

Here’s the mindset shift that helped me: less deciding, not better deciding.

Instead of planning exact meals for every night, I plan loose frameworks. A few reliable “anchor” meals I know I enjoy. Simple building blocks that can be mixed and matched. Familiar favorites that don’t require research or reinvention.

I also limit where I look for inspiration. I have settled on one or two trusted sources, not the entire internet. That alone greatly reduces the mental noise.

Most importantly, I remind myself that flexibility is not failure. Leaving space to decide closer to the moment often works better than forcing decisions too far in advance.

Addressing Decision Making Fatigue Matters More in Midlife

Relieving the stress around decision making isn’t about doing less—it’s about deciding once and benefiting daily. When we reduce mental noise, we reclaim energy. When energy returns, progress feels lighter, steadier, and more sustainable.

This is especially true in midlife, when experience has taught us that lasting change rarely comes from dramatic overhauls. It comes from small, repeatable choices that don’t exhaust us. Because meaningful change doesn’t come from piling on more decisions. It comes from making life simpler, one thoughtful choice at a time.

Patty is the founder of The Brilliant Age, a lifestyle platform for women navigating midlife and beyond with curiosity, style, and intention. Through thoughtful essays on reinvention, personal style, relationships, and purposeful living later in life, she encourages women to question outdated rules and design lives that feel vibrant and true. Patty also writes Spark 60, a weekly one-minute dose of inspiration delivered every Wednesday. Explore more at The-Brilliant-Age.com, follow on Instagram and Facebook, link and start living your most brilliant chapter yet.