Do you find yourself saying, I wish someone else would decide what we’re having for dinner, or which movie to watch, or what to buy for teacher gifts? Then, friend, you need to try out this concept: “Decide once.”
Coined by The Lazy Genius herself, Kendra Adachi, “decide once” is going to transform your 2023! It’ll take out the stress of decision fatigue and hand you the peace that comes from decisions you’ve made for your season: Taco Tuesdays, teachers get a gift card to the local bookstore, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink”—the possibilities are endless. Kendra shares her favorite “decide once” choices, along with how to start small, why brainless crowdpleasers will save your weeknights, and so much more.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes
“The phrase “decide once” it's deceptively simple, yet really profound. Because when I hear “decide once,” what I really hear is, ‘I'm making this decision now, so that I do not have to make this decision again. In fact, I'm taking this decision completely off the table for the time being, because guess what? I've already decided what I'm going to do in this scenario.’” – Emily Ley
“There are things that do matter, whether it's paying our bills or being grateful to someone we want to show gratitude to. And coming out of a season where we're giving—all of those things really matter. And so we can still get our things done and still feel like a person. Just because you're automating something doesn't mean that you're taking the heart out of it.” – Kendra Adachi
“What happens when we spend our money on something? We are committed to that being part of our home, whether it is visible or you have to find a place to stick it until you know what to do with it.” – Kendra Adachi
“One of the one of the ways that you can do decide once is something I call a meal matrix, which is something most people already do. It's it's pasta Monday, it's taco Tuesday, it's pizza Friday. It's just putting a certain meal on a day of the week.” – Kendra Adachi
A Blessing for Your Week
As you decide how to move through your new year,
I hope you’re able to do it with ease.
I hope you care for for your future self
by taking a few decisions off her plate.
And when your people see the way you’re so kind to yourself,
I hope they realize they can be kind to themselves just like you are,
And that the cycle of caring that you’ve created continues throughout your entire new year.
Simplicity Tip of the Week
If you like this concept of “deciding once” but you don’t know where to start, try to do what Kendra did: decide to make your Mondays easier.
Does Monday need to be a one-pot pasta dinner, or even takeout? Do you need to make a Monday uniform, the way Kendra did? Does your Bachelor crew need a system to say, “On the first Monday of each month, Emily’s going to host the viewing party,” so you don’t blow up your group text every Monday afternoon?
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: trying to figure out what matters to you and making small decisions to support that may not feel like an overnight change. But I promise you, it’ll improve the quality of your life over time. Because all of these little things will add up to one big stress reliever. Try it. You’ll see.
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Resources, Links, Mentions from This Episode
- [Instagram] @thelazygenius
- [website] The Lazy Genius Collective
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