The Hidden Drain on Your Energy

I firmly believe that we all have a daily pool of energy to pull from. There’s a cap on our creativity, a limit to our social battery (shoutout to my fellow introverts), and only so many decisions we can make before they start to feel exhausting. By the afternoon, even simple choices—what to eat, how to respond to an email—can feel overwhelming.

Enter: decision fatigue—the idea that the more decisions we make, the harder each one becomes. It’s an unseen drain on our mental bandwidth, leading to exhaustion, stress, and slower decision-making. This constant stream of choices shows up everywhere, but at work, it’s especially sneaky:

• Emails flooding your inbox—deciding what needs action vs. what can wait.
• Meetings upon meetings—feeling like you need to be everywhere, all the time.
• Prioritization paralysis—when everything feels urgent, making it hard to start anything.
• Context switching—jumping between tasks, draining your focus.
• Overthinking & perfectionism—spending more energy refining than actually finishing.

The mental clutter adds up. So, how do we cut through the noise and work smarter? Let’s dive in.

1. Automate the Small Stuff

The fewer decisions you have to make, the more energy you have for what matters. Start with these simple shifts:

Pre-decide Your Daily Choices

• Outfits: Plan your week’s outfits in advance. Whether it’s a work uniform or a loose rotation, pre-planning reduces morning stress
• Lunches: Have a go-to list of meals to avoid the dreaded “What do I eat?” decision. Batch-prep if you can, or use meal services when life gets extra busy.

Streamline Your Inbox

• Use filters & rules to sort emails automatically—keep newsletters, vendor updates, and low-priority emails out of sight until you’re ready.
• Touch each email once—reply immediately if it takes less than two minutes, or sort it into a designated folder (like “To Do” or “Waiting For”) to handle later.

2. Set Clear Priorities with a “Decision Hierarchy”

If everything is a priority, nothing is. Use a structured approach to filter your to-do list:

Start Your Day with a Plan

Before diving into emails, check your calendar. Then, write down your Top 3 Priorities for the day—these are the tasks that must get done. Only after that should you scroll through your inbox to see if anything changes your focus.

Use the 80/20 Rule

80% of your impact comes from 20% of your work. Identify the high-value tasks that move the needle and focus on those first.

Batch Similar Tasks

Group small, low-effort tasks into 30-minute focus blocks—this keeps your brain from constantly switching gears and saves mental energy.

3. Reduce Open Loops & Mental Clutter

Trying to remember unfinished tasks takes up valuable brain space. Instead of mentally tracking everything, build simple systems to offload the mental load:

Keep a “Waiting For” List

Instead of stressing about pending replies, create a “Waiting For” folder in your inbox to track anything that needs a follow-up. Review it every couple of days, instead of mentally keeping tabs.

Schedule a Weekly Review

Each Friday, set aside 30–60 minutes to:

• Clear out lingering to-dos.
• Follow up on pending emails
• Review your inbox and calendar for the next week.

This helps you reset mentally before the new week begins.

4. Embrace “Good Enough” Decision-Making

If you’re a recovering perfectionist (hi, same), this one’s for you. Not every decision needs to be agonized over—sometimes “good enough” is truly good enough.

Set Time Limits on Decisions

For low-stakes choices, give yourself a deadline (e.g., 5 minutes to finalize an email or 10 minutes to pick a template).

Use the 2-Minute Rule

If something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately instead of adding it to your list. This prevents small tasks from piling up.

Final Thoughts: Make Space for What Really Matters

At the end of the day, productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about thinking less about the unnecessary. Your mental energy is precious. The more you can reduce decision fatigue, the more space you create for clarity, creativity, and focus on what truly matters.

Glimmer Moment: What’s one small decision you can automate or simplify this week?

Check back next week—we’ll explore balancing life and career in a way that actually feels doable.

Mindfully,
MK