Dinner Decision Fatigue
And some ideas to feel less drained
If you ever feel like your brain is hazy when trying to figure out dinner, it’s not just you. Especially after a long or hectic day, five o’clock rolls around and I have the feeling that I can’t possibly make one more decision. As it turns out, there’s a name for this: decision fatigue.
Consciously and subconsciously, we make decisions all day long. Should I get out of bed or log a few more minutes of sleep? What should I wear today? Should I bring an umbrella? What’s for breakfast? How do I respond to this text? Do I have time to stop by the store now, or is later better?
The list goes on and on, and those are just the small ones. Add in the bigger personal, work, and life decisions, as well as those we make for others if caregiving, and it’s no wonder we feel mentally exhausted by the end of the day. In fact, the average person makes over 35,000 decisions every single day (and over 200 about food, specifically).
Decision fatigue is the feeling of being so mentally drained by these constant choices that it impacts our ability to continue making them. Moreover, the effect is cumulative, meaning that the more decisions we make throughout the day, the worse it becomes. By the time we reach the dinner hour, our brains are genuinely out of decision-making fuel.
I’m not sure how to help with the big life choices or even a morning outfit selection, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how to reduce the myriad decisions when it comes to meals, or what I’m unofficially naming dinner decision fatigue. Here are a few ideas:
Don’t leave dinner decisions for the end of the day:
As I talked about in my last newsletter, meal plans (no matter how minimal) can ease some of the daily decision-making. A simple list covering each day of the week (or even just a few days out, as works best for me) consolidates the mental dinner planning.
At a minimum, figuring out dinner earlier in the day will likely feel less burdensome than in the evening, when our brains are already worn down.
Develop food routines:
Any part of the dinner process that can be put on repeat is one less decision to make, such as:
Always grocery shopping on the same day(s) of the week
Keeping note of the “basics” that you always need, rather than having to re-remember them each time you compile a grocery list (decision central!)
Re-using previous online orders
If you are the type of person who can eat the same thing every week, by all means, go for it. I can’t think of a more efficient approach than using one meal plan and grocery list week after week. Personally, variety in food is very literally my spice of life. So, rather than a repeat plan, I prefer to…
Streamline the options:
When I’m feeling the need to take some food decisions off my plate (pun intended), I lean on a meal plan framework, which limits the number of options while still leaving room to mix things up and try new recipes.
There is your standard Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc. approach, which is a classic for a reason. However, I actually prefer a more time-based plan, since our schedule typically stays the same week to week. Only have 30 minutes before dinner? Choose a quick & easy recipe. Getting back late from activities? Crockpot day. Been a while since the last grocery trip? Plan to raid the freezer.
Here's what this might look like:
Though things always get moved around as daily life shifts, this is my fallback way to wrap my mind around planning, with fewer choices. What I love about this approach is that it not only reduces the day-of decisions for what to make, but also when that cooking (or not cooking) is going to happen.
Now that we’ve taken care of dinner, you can kick back, relax, and only make 34,999 decisions tomorrow!
Food For Thought
Some helpful and interesting links from around the internet:
This Napa Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing falls in the quick & easy category, especially when I swap in pre-washed/shredded coleslaw mix for the cabbage (which is always). Made with rotisserie chicken, this salad is my favorite for hot summer days, no oven needed. For my son, who won’t touch a green leaf, I microwave the leftover chicken drumsticks.
If you would rather procrastinate all of your dinner decisions and just read about food instead, here’s a list of Food-Filled Beach Reads from Eater. The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza and The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson are at the top of my summer reading list.