Simple Ways For Working Homeschool Moms To Beat Decision Fatigue
As working moms who also homeschool, we make hundreds of decisions every single day. From the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning to the moment we crash into bed, we are making decisions.
And it is exhausting!
No matter how organized you are, no matter how on top of things you might be, the day in and day out of making decisions can lead to decision fatigue.
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When I start to feel like I am drowning in the sea of overwhelm, it is usually because my plate of “things to do” is overflowing. Not good.
“Remove what you can from your plate.” is excellent advice in theory.
But how do you put it into practice in a practical way, in a way that makes sense for you?
Before we can talk about that, let’s talk about what decision fatigue is and how it impacts our lives?
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What Is Decision Fatigue?
According to Wikipedia, “decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making.”
As working moms who also homeschool, we make decisions from the moment our eyes open to when we fall into bed at night.
We wake up and are immediately faced with deciding what to wear, how to style our hair, and whether to wear makeup or skip it.
Next, we decide if we will eat breakfast and what to feed the kids.
We head to work and spend several hours making decisions based on the needs of our clients, boss, customers, etc.
We come home to the decision of what to have for dinner. Should we have pasta or rice? Chicken or beef? Should we get takeout, can we afford it? Did I take something out of the freezer, or did I forget?
We cross the floor, notice we are sticking, and immediately realize that we haven’t assigned chores today. When was the last time the floor was swept, never mind mopped? Is there laundry still in the dryer?
After dinner, you make more decisions, from who needs a bath to who needs extra help in math? Is this curriculum still working? Maybe we should switch programs? When the kids are in bed, you decide your homeschool plan for the next day…it truly never ends.
Making all these decisions day in and day out is exhausting.
4 Signs You Might Be Suffering From Decision Fatigue
Regardless of how strong you are, your ability to make the best choices can eventually run out due to decision fatigue.
But how do you know you are suffering from decision fatigue and not just tired?
You might be suffering from decision fatigue when you start:
- Procrastinating, putting off the decision for later
- Avoiding the decision – “I can’t even right now.”
- Picking whatever is easiest, even if it is not the best decision ex. Eating out when you don’t have the budget for it
- Saying no to everything, including rest, self-care or fun activities, because the decision is just too much
Decision fatigue is that feeling when you’re overly stressed by the endless amount of decisions you’ve had to make throughout the day.
See, what happens is that every time we make a choice, we go through a process of weighing pros and cons, risks and benefits, costs and rewards.
Every. Single. Time. Our brains go through that process even if we aren’t aware of it or the energy we use.
How To Beat Decision Fatigue
Decision fatigue leads to burnout. As a working mom who has survived burnout, let’s just say I spend a lot of time learning how to avoid it.
The first piece of advice you’ll find when researching how to avoid burnout is to practice self-care. Self-care is very important. I have created an entire workshop plus package to help you add self-care to your routines.
But self-care isn’t enough.
Causes Of Decision Fatigue As A Working Mom
To overcome decision fatigue, we need to understand why this is so common in working moms.
As working moms, we are no strangers to making decisions, and thanks to current events, we are now flooded by decisions we weren’t prepared for. These decisions span more than what to make for dinner, what to wear to work and what client work needs to be done.
We now need to include decisions such as when to wear a mask, what places are safe for child care, or even what family rules we will have for our safety.
With so many options available for each choice, our brains quickly become drained from all the energy we need to make, leading to decision fatigue.
Causes Of Decision Fatigue As A Homeschool Mom
As homeschool moms, we live in a constant state of decision-making.
- Am I using the right curriculum?
- How much homeschool is enough?
- What if my child never learns to read?
- Should I join a co-op?
- What about socialization?
The second-guessing never ends, and when you add this to all the decisions you make as a working mom, it is no wonder you are experiencing decision fatigue!
What’s the answer? How can we overcome decision fatigue?
High Stakes & Low Stakes Decision Making
First, we need to understand that not all decisions are equal.
Each day, our decisions fall into two categories: High Stake and Low Stake.
A high stake decision means you have a major interest in its outcome, and it has a bigger impact on your life moving forward.
A few examples of high stake decisions are:
- Should I take this new job? Or add another job to my schedule?
- Should we move or build a house?
- Should we homeschool or send our kids to public school?
When you are faced with these types of decisions, I recommend setting aside a block of time to evaluate the pros and cons associated with major decisions. Research and write it all out.
I also recommend having a heartfelt conversation with those involved. Get their input and thoughtfully consider their suggestions.
Lastly, don’t rush.
A low stake decision means they will not impact your life to a major degree.
A few examples of low stake decisions are:
- What to wear to work
- What to make for meals
- What housekeeping tasks need to be done
- Which homeschool subjects should be done first
While these decisions do not impact your life in a major way, what they do accomplish is sucking your mental energy dry.
Low-stakes decisions take a lot of decision energy.
We will zero in on “Low Stake Decisions” because small changes will give us big results. If you can reduce the amount of low-stakes decisions you make in a day, you will have more energy to deal with the high-stakes decisions.
Our goal? To set up your day so that you have to make the fewest decisions possible.
“The difficulty in life is the choice.”
— George Moore, The Bending of the Bough
2 Key Ways To Stop Decision Fatigue
So many of us working moms are experiencing decision fatigue because when there are too many options and choices to make, it requires so much more of our brain’s energy to make decisions.
Two keys to managing decision fatigue:
- making decisions ahead of time
- making less decisions each day
The more decisions we make ahead of time, the fewer decisions we will make each day.
What types of decisions can you make ahead of time?
Do you want to start with the ones that are sucking up the most brainpower or put a different way, which ones are the most mentally exhausting?
As you go about your day, take note of the low-stake decisions you are making over and over again that stop you in your tracks. Which ones do you debate in your mind the most? Which ones stop you from moving forward with your day?
We can’t remove every single decision we make, but with a bit of planning, we can start somewhere. If you can reduce the amount of low-stakes decisions you make in a day, you will have more energy to deal with the high-stakes decisions.
Simplify Your Decisions In These Three Areas
To avoid decision fatigue, I want to encourage you to set up your day to make the fewest decisions possible.
Using the questions above, I’ve found that the most mentally exhausting decisions working moms who homeschool make each day are:
- What to eat/feed the family
- What to needs to be cleaned
- When to homeschool the kids
Based on that, I want to share some practical strategies you can put into place today to help you cut through the overwhelm and reduce the number of decisions we make each day.
Stop Decision Fatigue By Meal Planning
One of the first systems I recommend for working moms to get in place is meal planning. When you plan out your meals for the week it removes so much stress!
After a long day of working, the first question we face is, what is for dinner?
Dinner is the most stressful meal of the day because everyone is usually tired, cranky, and hungry – including you. But if you plan ahead of time and remove this low-stake decision from your day you will feel so much better!
Here are 4 ideas to get you started:
- Simplify my meals – create a list of meals your family loves and rotate it
- Outsource one meal a week to your kids or your Instant Pot
- Batch cooking or using freezer meals – Every time you make a meal, you double it and freeze the extra one! Or go all in with this freezer meal guide.
- Buy done for you meal plans or subscription boxes such as Hello Fresh.
Take some time and pick a meal plan that will work for your family; write down at least 1 week of meals ahead of time. Now all you need to do is check the plan and cook!
House Cleaning Tips To Remove Decision Fatigue
How many times have you forgotten the laundry in the washer? When was the last time your house was dusted?
Or how many times have you thought you asked your kids to help out only to find out you forgot to ask them, they didn’t do it, or (and this is me) go to assign chores but can’t think of anything off the top of your head you don’t feel like fighting over?
These decisions are mentally draining. What can you do about it?
- Create and use simple cleaning routines. The power of routines is once you get them in place you do them without thinking. (kinda!) For example, if you always empty the dishwasher first thing in the morning while your coffee is perking, you will eventually do this without even thinking about it. You can create the same routines for your kids such as always making their bed when they wake up, or putting the toys away before dinner.
- Use cleaning charts. Cleaning charts or chore charts provide done-for-you lists that you can assign each day. I use Cleaning Planner because it is easy! For our family, I print the weekly list and stick it on my fridge and let the kids pick what they want to do.
Take some time today and either create a cleaning routine or find a done-for-you chart to use in your home.
Deciding When To Homeschool Your Kids
As a working mom, it can be hard to decide when to homeschool your kids and I don’t mean what age to start homeschooling. I mean when to find the time in your day to teach your kids.
Homeschooling is extremely flexible, and as a working mom, you will take full advantage of that flexibility. This means you can teach your kids whenever and wherever you want, which is great and also completely overwhelming.
My advice? Keep it simple and suited for your family.
If you work Monday-Friday, have your children do independent work on those days and dig into the hands-on homeschool subjects on the weekends and holidays.
If you work mornings, homeschooling the afternoons and evenings.
Evening or night worker? Homeschool during the day and on your days off.
And don’t forget to make use of online programs to help take a load off.
After you make a decision, stick to it for about 6 weeks. After that, adjust as needed.
You Can Beat Decision Fatigue
As we make hundreds of big and small decisions, we are exhausting our mental energy. Like when our children ask us the same thing twenty times, and in the late afternoon, we suddenly give in?
Yeah, that.
Practicing self-care goes a long way to help us avoid burnout. The next step is reducing the decisions we make each day.
We can’t remove every single decision we make but with a little planning, we can start somewhere. If you can reduce the amount of low-stakes decisions you make in a day, you will have more energy to deal with the high-stakes decisions.
You got this!
Jen
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
