How Decision Fatigue Steals Your Capacity & Joy
Do you ever feel like your patience wears thin or your brain just can’t make one more decision? Maybe you start the day strong but end up frustrated, grabbing junk food, or zoning out on your phone by evening. You’re not alone. This might be decision fatigue quietly draining your capacity and joy.
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, we unpack why so many of us run out of energy for the things that matter most—and how small, intentional changes can bring back peace and focus. You’ll discover that what feels like a lack of willpower is often just too many choices… and how God invites us into a rhythm of rest and wisdom that frees us to live on mission with joy.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- The difference between lacking willpower and experiencing decision fatigue.
- How to recognize the signs of decision fatigue in your daily life.
- Why decision fatigue often derails your discipleship and mission efforts.
- Simple ways to plan, rest, and partner with God to reduce decision fatigue each day.
From this episode:
“None of us are created with unlimited resources. But we do have a God who is unlimited and knows every task, conversation, or decision we will need to make each day. Ask God to guide you as you make changes to your schedule and reduce the fatigue that comes from poorly managed decisions.”
Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others…
Thanks for Listening!
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Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
The Gospel In Everyday Life Workshop Register Now FREE
Coaching and Mentorship in Missional Living by Caesar and his wife Tina
Resources for missional living and group training – Missio Publishing
Get Caesar’s latest book: Bigger Gospel for FREE… Click here.
Transcript
It turns out that this notion of some of us having more willpower than others may not actually be quite accurate, and that's probably good news for the do to be Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, crowd out there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Like you will just try harder.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, you gotta love you more.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's like turn turns out.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, we all have willpower.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's just that it's not unlimited.
Caesar Kalinowski:And after making many decisions in a day, our resolve weakens and it gets harder and harder to make wise decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:We either begin to choose.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sort of a default mode and take the path of least resistance.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:I think that's where a lot of us go.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Or we'll just do nothing.
Caesar Kalinowski:Each successive decision that we're faced with receives less of our quote willpower and can begin to feel like an annoyance as we experience real emotional fatigue.
Heath Hollensbe:Huh?
Caesar Kalinowski:Do you ever feel this way?
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah, absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so all of this has led me to pay closer attention to my own emotions and countenance and decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:As the day and my load of decision making kinda wears on,
Heath Hollensbe:welcome to the Everyday Disciple Podcast where you'll learn how to live with greater intentionality and an integrated faith that naturally fits into every area of.
Heath Hollensbe:Life.
Heath Hollensbe:In other words, discipleship as a lifestyle.
Heath Hollensbe:This is the stuff your parents, pastors and seminary professors probably forgot to tell you.
Heath Hollensbe:And now here's your host, Caesar Kalinowski.
Caesar Kalinowski:Heath, you've not made a bad decision to be here today?
Caesar Kalinowski:Not yet.
Caesar Kalinowski:No, not yet.
Caesar Kalinowski:And nor have our listeners.
Caesar Kalinowski:This is a cool.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's gonna be a cool episode.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, uh, yeah, I mean, what an intro, right?
Caesar Kalinowski:Why we make so many bad decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:But, um, you know, Hey,
Heath Hollensbe:before we get into it, I wanna just give a shout out to people that have been rocking Facebook.
Caesar Kalinowski:Oh man,
Heath Hollensbe:please.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah, so, well, our Facebook groups starting to get fun.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:It's starting to get super cool.
Heath Hollensbe:So all you gotta do is go to Facebook and then the search bar type and Everyday Disciple Podcast, we will pop up and then Caesar and I will approve you to the group and you get to stay part of the group until you start.
Heath Hollensbe:Trolling and we'll, we'll kick you out.
Heath Hollensbe:But until then, come join the discussion.
Heath Hollensbe:Lots of fun over
Caesar Kalinowski:there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Great.
Caesar Kalinowski:So thanks for your comments.
Caesar Kalinowski:All right.
Caesar Kalinowski:Thanks for, yeah, thanks for doing that.
Caesar Kalinowski:I, I love giving the shout outs and I love the encouragement that we're getting from everybody out there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:Hey, today we're gonna talk about something.
Caesar Kalinowski:Here's a brand new thing called Decision Fatigue.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Maybe, maybe our listeners have heard of that term.
Caesar Kalinowski:Maybe not.
Caesar Kalinowski:I just wanna ask, like, do you ever feel like if you have to answer one more question.
Caesar Kalinowski:Today or make another decision, your head's gonna pop off.
Heath Hollensbe:Oh yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know a lot.
Caesar Kalinowski:I know.
Caesar Kalinowski:Like my kids were little and my mom even said to me like, honey, I hope someday when I was little, I remember her saying, hope someday you'll have a son just like you that just ask questions all day long.
Caesar Kalinowski:And then I did.
Caesar Kalinowski:Thanks ma. You know, but so, but some of that's tied to what's sort of, uh, called decision fatigue actually.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:So let's get into the history of that.
Caesar Kalinowski:What, why don't you give us the definition, uh, of decision fatigue, where it came from, that sort of stuff.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I find this fascinating.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:By the way, so this might seem like a weird, a weird topic for some of our listeners.
Caesar Kalinowski:Stick with me.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's gonna be great.
Caesar Kalinowski:And you're gonna see how it all ties.
Caesar Kalinowski:In with our beliefs in the gospel.
Caesar Kalinowski:So, um, so there's this author and science editor for the New York Times, John Tierney.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, uh, he's written about this extensively.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:And he is got a, I mean, it's not a, it's a steep read, but it's called Willpower Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, and he, but here's, and I don't necessarily agree with everything in that book, but here, let's check this out.
Caesar Kalinowski:He says, decision fatigue helps explain why ordinary.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sensible.
Caesar Kalinowski:People get angry at colleagues and families.
Caesar Kalinowski:They splurge on co clothes.
Caesar Kalinowski:They'll buy junk food at the supermarket, and they can't resist the dealer's offer to rust proof their new car.
Caesar Kalinowski:No matter how rational and highminded you try to be, you can't make decision after decision without paying a biological price.
Caesar Kalinowski:Wow.
Caesar Kalinowski:So.
Heath Hollensbe:How would you, in hearing that, how would you say the different, what would be the difference between willpower and decision?
Heath Hollensbe:Fatigue.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay, good.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, that's, that's a good way of asking it.
Caesar Kalinowski:Uh, well, it turns out that this notion of some of us having more willpower than others may not actually be quite accurate, and that's probably good news for the do two B. Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, crowd out there, like you will just try harder.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, gotta love you more.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's like, turn turns out, you know, we all have willpower.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's just that it's not.
Caesar Kalinowski:Unlimited and after making many decisions in a day, our resolve weakens and it gets harder and harder to make wise decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:We either begin to choose sort of a default mode and take the path of least resistance.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right?
Caesar Kalinowski:I think that's where a lot of us go.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Or we'll just do nothing.
Caesar Kalinowski:Each success of decision that we're faced with receives less of our willpower and can begin to feel like an annoyance.
Caesar Kalinowski:As we experience real emotional fatigue, huh?
Caesar Kalinowski:I mean, ever.
Caesar Kalinowski:You see what, yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:I feel this way.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah, absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so all of this has led me to pay closer attention to my own emotions and countenance and decisions as the day and my load of decision making kinda wears on.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, am I, am I less nice and harsher with coworkers or subordinates as it gets later in the day?
Caesar Kalinowski:Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I'm, you know, I've been required to make a ton of decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, are my spouse and are my children receiving my most gracious patient attention and decision making after I come home from work?
Caesar Kalinowski:Or do they at times feel like they're an add-on to my day or a distraction?
Heath Hollensbe:Wow.
Caesar Kalinowski:And just one more decision that I've gotta weigh in on and give approval or blessing to, you know, we need to figure this out.
Caesar Kalinowski:I can remember, you know, too many times, just being honest, Keith.
Caesar Kalinowski:Too many times where people said to me, man, you were, you were, you were a little curt there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Or that, you know, you were, I didn't feel the love on that answer, bro.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, and, and here's what it was.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I started, this is why I started digging into this.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's like, well, I think, or I feel like I had to answer.
Caesar Kalinowski:A thousand.
Caesar Kalinowski:I had to make a thousand decisions today.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so what you just experienced was getting one 1000th of my time.
Caesar Kalinowski:Tension and affection,
Heath Hollensbe:yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Doesn't feel good, does it?
Heath Hollensbe:Yep.
Heath Hollensbe:How do you expect that to feel?
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know.
Caesar Kalinowski:Exactly.
Caesar Kalinowski:But that's what decision fatigue is, is as the day wear's on, we're not actually built or wired to just to be on and on and on and on.
Caesar Kalinowski:And weighing good and bad and right and wrong, sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:And evil for ourselves all day long and for others.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:And for work and for kids, and think about a lot of our decisions that we have to make in the back of our head, we're like, oh, but if I decide wrongly, how's it gonna affect my,
Heath Hollensbe:yeah,
Caesar Kalinowski:my in, you know, how people view me?
Caesar Kalinowski:And all, it's, it's all wrapped up in that, and that wears honest throughout the day.
Caesar Kalinowski:It really does.
Caesar Kalinowski:I remember,
Heath Hollensbe:uh.
Heath Hollensbe:Being at Fred Meyer the other day, just in the ice cream aisle and looking at like 650 types of ice cream.
Heath Hollensbe:And even that alone is just like, can you just gimme one option?
Caesar Kalinowski:Let, let me ask you a question.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:In your own life, what does decision fatigue look like?
Caesar Kalinowski:Like, like in hearing that definition and kind of explanation, what does it, how does it crop up for you?
Caesar Kalinowski:What does it look like?
Caesar Kalinowski:What's it smell like?
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:For me, a lot of times, um, you know, and I selfishly like, will say, well, I'm a high capacity guy and I can, I can think better and I tend to try, you know, I try to give it.
Heath Hollensbe:Excuses as to what I'm doing or the reason I'm doing it.
Heath Hollensbe:Uh, for me it's usually work stuff where it's like just meeting after meeting and trying to coordinate with new people and then you get back and everything you've put your investment into.
Heath Hollensbe:The directions change, so you need to remeet about stuff.
Heath Hollensbe:And then you get home and it's like, well, what do you want for dinner?
Heath Hollensbe:What do you want?
Heath Hollensbe:What do you want as a sign?
Heath Hollensbe:I don't make any decisions.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:And then kids are like, can we go on a walk?
Heath Hollensbe:Can we go to get ice cream?
Heath Hollensbe:Can we go here?
Heath Hollensbe:Can we go here?
Heath Hollensbe:And you're like, I, I'm tapped out.
Heath Hollensbe:I just, and so at the end of the night, I just, you know, collapse and I sit, see, it turns out it's a real thing.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, for all of us.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:We're not wired to just, you know, so, but the problem is, is like, I'm sure a lot of people listening, it's like, yeah, but I am required to make a ton of decisions throughout my day.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, so then how, you know, how does my family get the better part of that?
Caesar Kalinowski:Like, do I need to work late at night and just have the best part, you know, in the morning or, yeah, like, yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:So sometimes what I do is just my, I mean, practically I just sit in the car for a few minutes before I even drive home, like a good 10 minutes, and I just sit and quiet and go.
Heath Hollensbe:Okay.
Heath Hollensbe:As I drive home, I'm prepping to kind of clear my mind so that when I get home, they're not just getting, like, I'm not hanging up the phone as I'm walking in the front door and moving to the next thing.
Heath Hollensbe:It's Gotcha.
Heath Hollensbe:It's quick detox.
Heath Hollensbe:Gotcha.
Heath Hollensbe:So how would you say, like what are some significant points in our life that we could point to as being, uh.
Heath Hollensbe:You know, marks of knowing that we're suffering from de decision fatigue.
Caesar Kalinowski:Well, okay, so I'm gonna go to someone smarter than me to answer part of this, okay?
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, there's a writer and a researcher on behavioral psychology.
Caesar Kalinowski:His name's James Clear.
Caesar Kalinowski:That's a great name.
Caesar Kalinowski:Clear, yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:Hey James.
Caesar Kalinowski:And he says this, he says, decision fatigue happens every day in everybody's life.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay?
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:And if you have a particularly decision heavy day at work.
Caesar Kalinowski:Then you come home feeling drained, like what you were just saying.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, and you might want to go to the gym and work out, but your brain would rather default to the easier decision, which is to sit on the couch.
Caesar Kalinowski:And that's decision fatigue.
Caesar Kalinowski:That's what's going on.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, like, I really need to get to the gym, or I need to cut the grass tonight, or whatever, you know, whatever.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's right, sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:Gotta get up.
Caesar Kalinowski:I'm gonna get some deer going.
Caesar Kalinowski:But because of decision fatigue, you just go, oh, now we could just, we could say, well, you need more willpower.
Caesar Kalinowski:Or, like, that's just being selfish.
Caesar Kalinowski:But he's saying now that's decision fatigue kicking in.
Caesar Kalinowski:Huh?
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, saying thing is true if you find it hard to muster up the willpower to work on your side business at night, or to cook and eat healthier meals.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, and while decision fatigue is something that we all deal with, there are a few ways that you can actually organize your day in your life, sort of design things to sort of master a better use of your willpower,
Heath Hollensbe:huh?
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so I think.
Caesar Kalinowski:This has a lot to do with why many of us find it hard to stick with our plans, you know, uh, in any area of life.
Caesar Kalinowski:But even, even when it comes to like making disciples Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:Uh, you know, various Missional endeavors.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, we're planning to do all this cool stuff in our neighborhood and have all these people over, right?
Caesar Kalinowski:And we're gonna start doing game nights and open table and all.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so when people come home from work, decision fatigue like crazy, and they're like.
Caesar Kalinowski:And maybe next week.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And it's not 'cause they, we don't love people.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's not because we don't know.
Caesar Kalinowski:Wow.
Caesar Kalinowski:That would be really extending generosity and grace out there.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's because we are tapped on our willpower.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's like it's used up.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know?
Caesar Kalinowski:Do you think
Heath Hollensbe:this is something that's specific to the way we operate here in America?
Heath Hollensbe:Like I had mentioned last week, I just got back from China.
Heath Hollensbe:I was in Columbia a couple weeks before that.
Heath Hollensbe:And it doesn't seem to be as pressing.
Heath Hollensbe:I mean, there's just kind of this more chill mindset and people are hanging out and.
Heath Hollensbe:You know, at night times when they get home, if they go to work, they're just sitting around having drinks and long dinners and conversation.
Heath Hollensbe:Is that something that we as Americans really need to
Caesar Kalinowski:pay more attention to than others?
Caesar Kalinowski:Well, I think from what I'm, you know, what I've experienced and travel quite a bit, and also just from, you know, what I've been reading on this from some of the experts is that we all have it.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's two different degrees.
Caesar Kalinowski:In other words, our, our capacity.
Caesar Kalinowski:For the ability to make those decisions, quote willpower in that moment, you know, to do, continue to make right decisions, the best decisions and all.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, uh, it might, it might be different, but Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:I think, I think in some cultures, their lives are just not packed with as many needs to make tons and tons of decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, I, I, here's a really weird, simple parallel.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:When Tina and I were living in Manhattan a couple years ago, um, we didn't own a car.
Heath Hollensbe:Huh.
Caesar Kalinowski:And it was wonderful.
Caesar Kalinowski:Because think about all the decisions when it comes to maintaining a car and what kind of car and payments and repairs and insurance needs and like in the city where to park and you gotta move it and the ridge just come and you gotta move it to you other side of the street on Tuesdays and Thursdays and all this, that was all removed.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I remember when winter hit.
Caesar Kalinowski:Winter in New York is like winter.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:I remember thinking this is, I love winter, but I don't, I used to always hate winter.
Caesar Kalinowski:Why?
Caesar Kalinowski:Well, I grew up in Chicago and all the decisions I had to make to get my car unstuck, get the battery fired up and all right, and so I, I just share that.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's kinda a weak analogy maybe, but it's to say that I think some cultures do have.
Caesar Kalinowski:Just by the inherent nature of their pace and cultural types.
Caesar Kalinowski:They do have less decisions that need to get made every day.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:But they're still human, so they have probably similar capacities to us.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, but I don't think it's a new thing.
Caesar Kalinowski:I don't think it's a new thing.
Caesar Kalinowski:Huh.
Caesar Kalinowski:I think that, that we can, because of our due to be culture, I think we can tend to say yes to too many things.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:That then.
Caesar Kalinowski:We feel good when people give 'em to us.
Caesar Kalinowski:'cause look at, they trust us.
Caesar Kalinowski:A little bit of stroke, a little bit of a, you know, upgrade in our, uh, status.
Caesar Kalinowski:And then now when it's on our plate though, it starts to wear us down.
Caesar Kalinowski:That decision fatigue starts to kick in.
Caesar Kalinowski:And then our, our more important relationships, family, life, mission, discipleship, they suffer.
Heath Hollensbe:So, Caesar, what are some ways that moms and dads and pastors, leaders, all of us can manage decision fatigue in our life and move towards making better decisions?
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Good question.
Caesar Kalinowski:I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna do that again this week as part of the big three.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:Uh, these, I, I think these are the bomb on this particular topic.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:And they've really been helpful to me.
Caesar Kalinowski:So instead of saying 'em and then saying 'em again Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:I'm just gonna go ahead and make them the big three.
Heath Hollensbe:Okay.
Heath Hollensbe:So big three, like always are the free download that we offer that will help you get started right away with things we want you to know, believe.
Heath Hollensbe:Tangible stuff you can latch onto today.
Heath Hollensbe:The three big things.
Heath Hollensbe:The three big things.
Heath Hollensbe:You can get those by going to everyday Disciple dot com slash big three.
Caesar Kalinowski:So Caesar the big three for this week.
Caesar Kalinowski:What are they?
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay, so here's three things I learned from from that article I was telling you about from James Clear that will help you reduce decision fatigue on a daily or even on as a lifestyle basis.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay?
Caesar Kalinowski:And these are gonna sound simple and obvious, but if you'll apply them.
Caesar Kalinowski:They're big.
Caesar Kalinowski:So first, one of the big three plan out routine decisions the night before.
Caesar Kalinowski:Hmm.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay.
Caesar Kalinowski:My father decided what he was gonna wear the next day and laid it out the night before his entire adult life.
Caesar Kalinowski:You, I mean, before he went to bed, it was always right there.
Heath Hollensbe:Wow.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I never realized how smart that was.
Caesar Kalinowski:Daily routines and normal stuff that we all have to do can be planned out and.
Caesar Kalinowski:Calendar in advance, then there's no decision.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's kinda like, um, um, who's the guy from Apple?
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, Steve Jobs.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Steve Jobs.
Caesar Kalinowski:Duh.
Caesar Kalinowski:Steve Jobs works the same thing every day.
Caesar Kalinowski:He did.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Heath Hollensbe:That's what people are on me about too.
Heath Hollensbe:And, and there's another
Caesar Kalinowski:guy, there's another big huge executive where the same thing every day.
Caesar Kalinowski:Why he says, I don't wanna put the emotional energy into those decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:I've got bigger decisions to make.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:So even if it's one better decision, let me make it right.
Caesar Kalinowski:That was my dad.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, more examples.
Caesar Kalinowski:What am I gonna eat for breakfast or lunch?
Caesar Kalinowski:Will I run this chore before or after work?
Caesar Kalinowski:What if you just took a minute?
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, a few minutes every night and kind of planned out the day.
Caesar Kalinowski:So you're not all that stress of decision making.
Caesar Kalinowski:Should I go here?
Caesar Kalinowski:For sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know?
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:What bills do I have to pay each month?
Caesar Kalinowski:Could they be automated?
Caesar Kalinowski:What about automating all that stuff Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:And get to nowadays, right?
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's so unfortunate.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, all of this can save valuable willpower that then you can use for more important decisions throughout your day.
Caesar Kalinowski:Simple one.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yep.
Caesar Kalinowski:But I'll tell you, it'll reduce the stress.
Caesar Kalinowski:Absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I've talked about before.
Caesar Kalinowski:I kind of have like my ideal day and it's a little of a map for my day.
Caesar Kalinowski:And when I stick to that, that reduces all kinds of time.
Caesar Kalinowski:Sort of management decisions for me.
Caesar Kalinowski:This is what I'm doing, then this is what I'm doing then great.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, and I'll tell you, you get to the end of the day and your heart's a little more open, you're a little able more to absorb that family decision.
Caesar Kalinowski:Make it a little right.
Heath Hollensbe:That's so cool.
Caesar Kalinowski:Second thing, block your time and start to calendar important things, not just meetings.
Caesar Kalinowski:No.
Caesar Kalinowski:So if you've ever wondered why you have not had success with certain things that you hope to get done.
Caesar Kalinowski:That could be related to decision fatigue.
Caesar Kalinowski:So instead of hoping each day that you'll make the right decision, you know, get up early for the gym or write that book you've been gonna work on, or yeah, call your parents more often or whatever, make a commitment to the project and yourself by putting it in your calendar.
Heath Hollensbe:Huh?
Caesar Kalinowski:And I don't, I haven't shared this a whole lot with people, but like, you know, people are close to me who see my calendar know every day at nine 30 it says PFT, and I get a little reminder, PFT,
Heath Hollensbe:pray for Tina.
Caesar Kalinowski:Pray for Tina.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, and, and why do I do that?
Caesar Kalinowski:Well, because.
Caesar Kalinowski:Not 'cause I couldn't think of it on my own, but some days I wouldn't.
Heath Hollensbe:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I, it's so important to me.
Caesar Kalinowski:I wanna be consistently praying for my wife.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:And I thought,
Caesar Kalinowski:you know what, wait a minute.
Caesar Kalinowski:I calendar all kinds of stuff every day, all week long.
Caesar Kalinowski:Tons of it.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And, and most of 'em, guess what?
Caesar Kalinowski:They're not as important as praying for my wife.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:So I thought my own commitment to her and even just for myself, PFT, you know, so it's in there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, that's great.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, so here's, here's some other stuff.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, most of us place like a ton of important things in our calendars, right.
Caesar Kalinowski:But when it comes to our personal things.
Caesar Kalinowski:We often dream more than we commit.
Caesar Kalinowski:So if we continue to lay back hoping to make good and progressive decisions each day, then it's likely we're gonna like succumb to our decision fatigue and our kind of waning and failing willpower again and again.
Caesar Kalinowski:So make that commitment and calendar that stuff.
Caesar Kalinowski:Then it's off.
Caesar Kalinowski:It's off your load.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Decision made.
Caesar Kalinowski:So cool.
Caesar Kalinowski:Okay, third, do the most important things that you have to do earlier in the day.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, what are the most important things you have to do tomorrow?
Caesar Kalinowski:Do you know what they are?
Caesar Kalinowski:Plan to do them first thing in the morning, if at all possible.
Heath Hollensbe:Hmm.
Caesar Kalinowski:So, um, I usually wake up and I spend an hour more answering emails right away, which is not the most important thing I have to do.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:But I'm changing that.
Caesar Kalinowski:Like I said, I've started working out this my ideal day.
Caesar Kalinowski:So who in or what needs your absolute best decision making self give it to them first.
Caesar Kalinowski:That's so good.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:Who or what needs your absolutely best decision making self.
Caesar Kalinowski:Well plan that.
Caesar Kalinowski:Then do those decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:Then you get to, yeah, right off the bat.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:So some of our well-worn patterns in all this heath.
Caesar Kalinowski:Um, take time to change, you know?
Caesar Kalinowski:Sure.
Caesar Kalinowski:But like my answering emails, well, I'm not even outta bed, you know, but a few tweaks to your intention and the rhythms of our lives can help reduce decision fatigue in our lives.
Caesar Kalinowski:And they have a pretty powerful effect on our joy and our effectiveness and others' perceptions of us too.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Heath Hollensbe:And you know, one thing, uh, Kathleen and I have just started working on that's been helpful is just this policy of like keeping your cell phone outta the bedroom.
Heath Hollensbe:So it's like, you know, at nighttime we just go to bed and I'm do, like you said, doing emails or.
Heath Hollensbe:Responding to Facebook events or, oh, I have to res, you know, I have to fix this.
Heath Hollensbe:How does that tie into decision
Caesar Kalinowski:fatigue?
Heath Hollensbe:It's like when you go to bed at night, the last thing you want is not to.
Heath Hollensbe:Lay in bed right before you fall asleep, making 50 decisions on That's true.
Heath Hollensbe:Texting this guy and, oh, I forgot to tell my boss.
Caesar Kalinowski:And I'll be, not to mention it probably cuts into the ill romantic part of life.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, absolutely.
Caesar Kalinowski:So, yeah, so
Heath Hollensbe:it's just been helpful for us.
Heath Hollensbe:Just, yeah, that's a big four.
Heath Hollensbe:I'll tag that one on there.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:And so, so you know, point well made there, uh, when you're kind of planning out your next day and some of the, you know, like sort of just.
Caesar Kalinowski:Basic decisions and routines and all.
Caesar Kalinowski:Don't do it laying in bed with your spouse.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:You know, like before, you know, turn the TV off, give yourself 10 minutes, kinda look over your day, organize some of that, make some of those decisions.
Caesar Kalinowski:Boom.
Caesar Kalinowski:You start your next day.
Caesar Kalinowski:It kind of mapped out.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah, it's great dude.
Caesar Kalinowski:Time's up.
Caesar Kalinowski:I hope that was helpful for people.
Caesar Kalinowski:This is not a, a topic that I hear discussed a lot.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:But as I get busier and busier in life.
Caesar Kalinowski:I wanted to be able to understand why towards the end of the day, in certain people in certain situations, I wasn't as full of grace or making as good a decisions as I might.
Caesar Kalinowski:'cause I was sort of just defaulting like, Hey, yeah, yeah, whatever.
Caesar Kalinowski:Yeah.
Caesar Kalinowski:Absolutely needs that.
Caesar Kalinowski:Right.
Caesar Kalinowski:So I hope, I hope this will help.
Heath Hollensbe:Yeah, me too, man.
Heath Hollensbe:Thanks for joining us today.
Heath Hollensbe:For more information on this show and to get loads of free discipleship resources, visit everyday Disciple dot com and remember.
Heath Hollensbe:You really can live with a spiritual freedom and relational peace that Jesus promised every day.