Why You Can’t Even - The Truth About Decision Fatigue
By the end of the day, I have made approximately 4,782 decisions.
Some of them are big.
Some of them are small.
All of them require something from me.
As a solo parent and business owner, I’m making decisions from the moment I wake up.
What time do we leave?
What needs to get done first?
How do I respond to this email?
Is this the right next move for my business?
Did I sign that form?
Did I send that invoice?
Should I push through or rest?
By 5:30pm, when it’s time to decide what’s for dinner, my brain has simply clocked out.
“What do you want to eat?” feels like an impossible question.
And don’t even get me started on opening Amazon to buy something simple — like a new pair of running shoes — only to be met with three thousand options. Suddenly I’m reading reviews, comparing prices, overthinking color options… and then I close the app and buy nothing.
It’s not that I don’t care.
It’s that I can’t process one more choice.
This is decision fatigue.
And it’s real.
Every decision — even the small ones — requires attention, evaluation, and judgment. Your brain is constantly assessing options, predicting outcomes, weighing risks.
When you’re juggling work, parenting, relationships, and everyday life, that adds up fast.
By the end of the day, your capacity to choose wisely shrinks. You become more likely to:
Avoid decisions altogether
Choose the easiest option
Overthink simple things
Feel irritable when asked to decide
Shut down when presented with too many options
And if you’re someone who cares deeply about making the “right” choice, decision fatigue hits even harder.
You’re thinking about how it affects other people.
You’re trying to be efficient.
You’re anticipating consequences.
You’re aiming to get it right.
That level of responsibility is exhausting.
We’re also living in a world that offers endless choice.
Endless shows.
Endless products.
Endless information.
Endless opinions.
When your brain is already tired, being presented with hundreds — or thousands — of options doesn’t feel empowering. It feels overwhelming. Your mind can’t efficiently sort through them, so it opts out.
That’s why you close the app.
That’s why you scroll instead of choosing.
That’s why you say, “I don’t care, you pick.”
It’s not laziness. It’s overload.
The solution isn’t to become superhuman; It’s to respect your limits.
Simplify where you can.
Automate what doesn’t need deep thought.
Reduce options instead of expanding them.
Give yourself permission to choose “good enough.”
And maybe most importantly — recognize that if you “can’t even” at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean you’re failing at life.
It probably means you’ve been carrying a lot.
If you struggle with decision fatigue, or would like to dive deeper into this in a private session, schedule a free consultation to learn more about working with me. I can’t wait to meet you.