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How to Make Up Your Mind

The science behind decision fatigue and how to overcome it.

Corrie Evanoff

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

Having options is typically a good thing—until you can’t choose the right one for you. That’s decision paralysis, the mental exhaustion that comes from dealing with too many choices or struggling between two excellent ones.

We’d love to recommend flipping a coin to clear the anxiety, but realistically, overcoming indecisiveness requires a more nuanced approach. “Decisions are complex, not necessarily because the choice between two options is complex but also, and more importantly, because human beings are complex,” says Joseph Bikart in Psyche. Luckily, understanding how we got to this point can help untangle even the thorniest bouts of indecision—especially when followed up with trusted methods for moving forward. Ready to get started? Wait—don’t answer that. Let’s go.

Image by Aleksei Morozov/Getty Images

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