Tim Ferris’ Six Principles for A Choice-Minimal Lifestyle
Save your mental energy for the decisions that matter.
I’m in a store, trying to pick a gift for my friend’s birthday. This should’ve been a quick errand, yet I’ve been walking through the aisles for the past 45 minutes, growing increasingly frustrated with myself. Just. pick. something! I end up walking out empty-handed.
Our days are one long chain of micro-decisions — when to wake up, what to wear, when to leave the house, how to structure your day, what to have for lunch, and so on. This usually goes quite well, but sometimes, after a long day of choices, decision fatigue creeps in. A seemingly simple task, like choosing a gift, can suddenly feel impossible.
Making choices isn’t to be avoided — that’s not the problem. It’s the time we spend thinking about them, going back and forth in our mind— that’s the energy sapper. We have limited mental resources, and the cost of making a decision is more than time.
So how can we make this easier?
Tim Ferris’ advice is to become minimalist with your decision-making. Cut back on decisions that don’t matter and save your energy to focus on the essentials. The simplification of even one decision, like picking your outfit in the morning, can leave you with more mental…
