Choices and the Illusion of Control

Every day, you make thousands of decisions. By evening, you're choosing between takeout options with the mental stamina of someone who just ran a marathon.

This is known as decision fatigue, but it's really more like decision bankruptcy. Each choice, no matter how small, withdraws from your daily allowance of mental energy.

The illusion is that all these choices make us feel powerful. In control. Masters of our own time. We scroll through Netflix for 30 minutes, proud of our thoughtful selection process, not realizing we just spent 30 minutes not watching anything at all.

The successful people you admire? They're not necessarily better at making decisions. They're better at avoiding unnecessary ones. They streamline their wardrobe, meal choices, and establish clear boundaries with work—not because they lack imagination, but because they understand that simplicity compounds.

Your willpower isn't infinite. It's a muscle that tires. When you spend it choosing between twelve types of almond milk, you're borrowing energy from the decisions that actually matter—all while fooling yourself into thinking you're taking charge of your life.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by a choice, ask yourself:

Will this decision matter in a month? A year? If not, maybe it's time to automate that decision. Because tomorrow you’ll face a whole new set of decisions.