Ahhh Too Many Choices

We make thousands of choices every day. From the time we wake up we choose whether to snooze or not to snooze, what outfit to wear to work, what tasks to prioritize, which meetings to attend, what to eat for lunch, what workout class to attend, which Netflix show to watch… I could go on and on. The weekends are filled with even more choices on how to best make use of the time we have before starting the week again. Having to make all these decisions consumes energy and leaves us feeling exhausted, even unsatisfied at the end of the day.

A friend of mine recently recommended The Happiness Lab podcast by Yale professor Laurie Santos. The first episode I listened to Choice Overload, was about having to make thousands of choices every day that increase anxiety and sap not only our energy but also our happiness. We’re living in a time where conversations about increasing our happiness and well-being are dominating book titles, podcast waves and blog posts (including this one!). I’m always grappling with how to live a simpler and happier life?

Research has shown that we make about 35,000 choices daily. 35,000! The more decisions we have to make, the more our energy gets depleted resulting in decision fatigue. Our brains are not wired to make these many decisions and still maintain the same level of functionality. The podcast sites a study that Psychologists conducted to test the impact of choice on shopper behavior. At a grocery store shoppers either sampled 6 jams or 24 jams and both set of shoppers were given $1.00 off coupons to purchase the jam. While 20% more shoppers stopped by the table when more jams were offered only 3% made a purchase. On the other hand, of the shoppers who sampled 6 jams, 30% made a purchase. This study shows that the more choice that people had, the less they bought. Laurie says “when we are faced with lots of options we become paralyzed by them.”

I’m sure all of us can relate to the overload of choices in our lives. The number of shows or movies that are served up on Netlix or Hulu or Amazon Prime has grown exponentially. So picking what show/movie to watch is overwhelming and I’m sure has resulted in more marital strife! Going to the grocery store is another stressful endeavor. Even with a grocery list you can spend hours deciding which brand of a product to buy or which brand is the best value. I ain’t got time for dat!!! Or think about the time you spend at restaurants poring through extensive menus only to end up selecting the same dish. Pad Thai or pasta primavera or at Indian restaurants the iconic Chicken Tikka Masala.

How can we reduce the number of choices we have to save our energy to make the ones that really matter and in turn improve our well-being?

Some really important people have made lifestyle changes to precisely address decision fatigue. President Barak Obama wore the same type of white shirt and suit while he was president. Steve Jobs also wore the same outfit every day. Mark Cuban eats the same breakfast – oatmeal cookies.

In a similar vein I unconsciously made changes to my life to reduce the number of decisions I would have to make daily. Little did I know that I was already saving my brain’s energy to make the decisions that matter.

1. My wardrobe is fairly limited. I wear the same combo of clothes often and am not particularly picky about my outfits. I hardly spend any time deciding what to wear to work.
2. For breakfast I eat greek yogurt everyday. That’s right everyday. My colleagues at work observed this and now get worried if they don’t see me eating greek yogurt for breakfast.
3. I love shopping at Trader Joe’s because….there are few to NO brands! My grocery trips are quick. I don’t waste time comparing prices of various brands or deciding which brand of pasta to buy.
4. I drink tea every morning and eat the SAME two brand of cookies with my tea!

These might be seemingly trivial ways to cut down on the number of decisions I have to make daily but they go a long way in saving my mental energy. Added bonus – I save time! And that time can be spent writing this blog!!!

Additionally, many people are experiencing burnout in their lives. We’re all running around trying to manage our professional lives, our family, health, social lives, side hustles that no wonder burnout is becoming a bigger problem that society is grappling with. Therefore, reducing the number of choices (trivial or not) we have to make can go a long way in improving our happiness and well-being.

Phew! Choosing is exhausting. Instead of googling to find the best lifestyle blog to read based on reviews, make your life easier by bookmarking Conversations In the Sunroom. I guarantee you’ll be a happier person.

This post has not been sponsored by The Happiness Lab.