Overthink much? Lighten your mental load with these 4 tips

We make decisions every single day.

They might be small and quick: “What should I have for breakfast?”

Or they might be large with multiple steps: “Are we finally going to buy that new house?”

Usually though, they are everywhere in between. And when it comes to overthinking, these middle-of-the-road, everyday decisions are the ones that cause us the most stress.

And practically, we just spend way too much time on them.

Because here’s the thing – these middle-of-the road, everyday decisions are very rarely life and death circumstances. When it comes down to it, they just simply aren’t as important as we give them credit for. And if we give ourselves permission, we can often re-route or even unmake most of these decisions if they don’t go the way we planned.

But even so, these decisions still need to be vetted and made. Every single day.

So how do you spend less time on them and lighten your mental load?

Instead of adding even MORE to your plate this week, I’m going to tell you what you need to STOP doing.

Get rid of these four habits and mindsets to make smarter decisions, faster.

1. Stop taking polls. We all know this person, the poll taker. She’s texting the whole group to ask what dress she should wear to an event. She’s including pictures of each option, and then there are different opinions in the group so she can’t get to a decision. If you’re a poll taker, remember that you are the one who has to live with the outcome, so it’s really crucial to determine what you want for yourself.

2. Stop thinking there is a “perfect” solution to everything. There is no perfect outfit to wear to the event. Instead of thinking there is one perfect solution, think instead that there is a small collection of very good options. Maybe there are three or four outfits that all could work. And once you narrow it down, you’ll get to a place where you can make a faster choice.

3. Stop giving it more than two minutes. Any time you have to make an everyday decision and you notice yourself starting to waffle, set a timer either literally or figuratively, and give yourself two minutes to weigh the pros and cons. And at the end of those two minutes, you will have the information you need (you really will, promise!) to commit to a decision.

4. Stop walking. Instead, sprint. A “decision sprint” is necessary when you have a lot of half made decisions. Your head probably feels foggy, and your body feels stressed. Your mental load is high. So here’s how the decision sprint works: at the top of a sheet of paper, write decisions that need to be made. Then, every place where you are waffling, you’re going to declare your choice and essentially make the decision on paper. This is a powerful energy shift, because you move from deciding to implementing. Decision sprints can make you feel like a real #boss.

Take these strategies out into your life this week, and see if you can challenge yourself to make smarter, faster decisions.

I have a feeling you are going to feel absolutely brilliant!