How to manage decision fatigue as a mom

Hey there passionate moms and passionate entrepreneurs. Welcome to Episode 3 of the Boss Mom podcast.

I don't know about you, but I get exhausted with all of the decisions I have to make each day between my business and my family; sometimes it can be overwhelming. Over the years I have discovered a few things that can help battle what I like to call decision fatigue, and I wanted to share them with you in today's episode.

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There are two types of decision fatigue that I want to talk about today.

The first, is when there are just too many options. Think of all those times you are trying to find the right tool for your business or family. There are so many options, and maybe you have felt bogged down, frustrated, or overwhelmed. I mean, you don't have enough time in the first place to go and research every single option out there, right?

The second type is when you have too many different decisions to make throughout the day. We make tons of subconscious choices each day, but these are the choices that you consciously make, and then worry about later.

Now there is one thing that can really help battle both of these...and it's a good strategy. Having a clear strategy for your business, and family, will not only make decision making easier, but it can really how much time and effort you're putting into each decision that you have to make moving forward.

Here's some of the ways to help you create a good business strategy:

First, is to really know your purpose or what is commonly referred to as these days is your "why". What is it that you want to achieve? What is it that you're really trying to change in the world?

How does this help battle decision fatigue? Because, when you know why it is you're doing what you're doing, all of a sudden, making decisions becomes so much easier. Now you are able to use your 'why'' as a sounding board to make sure your decision really aligns with what you're trying to accomplish?

Second, is set priorities. A lot of times we have decision fatigue because we have shiny object syndrome. There's so many cool new things coming out, so many new courses, so many new people to follow, so many social media platforms we should be on. Then, all of a sudden you can't decide what to do, because you have your hands in so many pots that it's really tough to know which ones to continue.

How does this help battle decision fatigue? Well, when you are super clear on your main priorities to grow your business, it becomes easier to stop yourself from trying to make too many decisions on things that don't actually get you to your goal. Basically, it becomes easier to just say no, and not feel bad.

Third, is to create a schedule. When you are thinking about creating your schedule, think about what items are prerequisites of others. So, what do you have to do now, before you can do the next thing?

How does this help battle decision fatigue? When you consider the elements of your day, week, month, that have to get done first in order for other things to happen, then you are making sure that you stay on schedule AND not wasting time or money by not fully utilizing your resources. You are also able to limit the number of larger decisions that need to be made each day, which can really help cut down on your decision fatigue.

Here are some things you can do to help eliminate that decision fatigue when it comes to making a decision with just too many options.

1. Set a time limit of how long you're going to allow yourself to research that particular tool, or resource.
2. Know who your influencers are and then listen to their preferences and let them, well, influence you.
3. List what you need. Why do you need this tool? What do you need it for? The more details the better.
4. Make the best decision you can in the time you've given yourself, and then act.

And that is how I deal with decision fatigue. I would love to hear how you deal with decision fatigue. Share in the comments below.