Decision Making is Taxing: 5 Tips to Help Make It Less So

Let me guess: you opened a cabinet to “quickly grab something,” and 20 minutes later you’re standing there holding all sorts of miscellaneous objects, none of which are the ones you were looking for. You’re now frustrated and know that the cabinet needs some much needed purging and reorganizing but the thought brings on a huge sense of overwhelm. When to do this project? What to do with all the items no longer needed or wanted? How do I even know what to keep or get rid of? Welcome. You’re not alone. The thought of all that decision making feels so taxing!

As a Certified Professional Organizer with almost 23 years of experience, I spend my days helping people make decisions about their stuff. What to keep, what to toss, what to donate, and what on earth that random cord belongs to. And here’s the truth: organizing isn’t really about stuff. It’s about decisions. And decisions are hard. And there are so many of them!!!

So, why is decision making so taxing? Here are the top reasons:

The Brain:

Your brain is incredibly powerful, but it has a flaw: it hates uncertainty. Every object you own carries a tiny question mark.

· What if I need this someday?

· What if I regret getting rid of it?

· What if this is emotionally significant even though I don’t remember why?

Multiply that by hundreds (or thousands) of items, and suddenly your brain is on complete overload.

Decision Fatigue:

Some estimates suggest we make up to 35,000 decisions a day—many of them small and unconscious. Yes, thirty-five thousand. By the time you have to decide whether to keep that chipped mug or not, your brain is basically lying on the couch saying, “I cannot possibly care about this right now.”

This is called decision fatigue, and it’s why you can confidently run a meeting at work but absolutely cannot decide what to make for dinner. Trust me, I get it! After assisting clients with their decision making all day long plus my own, I don’t want to figure that out either!

Emotions:

Objects aren’t just objects. They’re little emotional landmines.

· That concert T-shirt? It’s not fabric—it’s nostalgia. That stack of old notebooks? Potential. That bread maker you used once? Aspirational baking identity.

When you’re organizing, you’re not just making logical choices, you’re negotiating with past versions of yourself and wishful dreams of your future self. No wonder it’s exhausting.

Perfectionism:

Here’s a fun twist: the people who struggle most with decisions are often the ones who care the most about “getting it right.”

You don’t want to make the wrong choice, so you make no choice or what we sometimes refer to as decision paralysis. And so the clutter stays.

Spoiler alert: there is no perfect decision. There is only good enough—and good enough is what creates progress.

Too Many Options = No Options:

Ever stood in front of your closet thinking, “I have nothing to wear,” while staring at 47 shirts? That’s not a lack of options—that’s too many. Or try choosing a shade of white paint!

When everything is available, nothing stands out. Your brain short-circuits and says, “Let’s just wear the same thing as yesterday and think about this never again.”

So What Actually Helps Make Less Taxing Decisions?

You don’t need superhuman willpower—you need structure. Try implementing these strategies and see if they help.

· Reduce the number of decisions: Work in small categories or what we refer to as chunking it down. Be narrow-minded and focus on one category at a time. Instead of “clean out the closet”, try “go through my flip flops”. Notice how small that is! It’s not even “go through my shoes”.

· Set simple rules: For example, any reading materials older than 6 months get tossed.

· Limit time: Decisions get easier when there’s a gentle deadline. Set a timer by which you need to have decided.

· Accept imperfection: You’re organizing, not performing surgery. “Good enough” should be your mantra.

· Start with less emotional items. Getting rid of expired spices or medicines is a lot easier than any emotionally laden categories.

And most importantly…Be Kind To Yourself!

If decision-making feels hard, it’s because it is hard. You’re managing logic, emotion, memory, and future uncertainty. So, the next time you feel stuck, remember it’s not about the object. It’s about the mental load attached to it.

Happy organizing—and may your decisions be swift, your junk drawer slightly less mysterious and your decision making less taxing.