Have you ever found yourself completely stuck over a decision that feels like it should be simple?
What to eat?
What email to answer first?
What to wear?
And sometimes the smaller the decision appears,
The more frustrating it can be when our brain simply won't choose.
For many neurodivergent people,
This is not a lack of common sense,
Motivation,
Or maturity.
Small decisions can require much more mental work than other people realize.
Your brain may be trying to compare every possible option,
Predict every outcome,
Remember what's worked before,
Consider what everyone else may need,
And avoid making the wrong decision.
All at the same time.
And when you have already had a full day of decisions behind you,
Even choosing what to have for dinner can feel like one demand too many.
There also happens to be when the options are too open-ended.
What Do You Want to Do Today?
May sound like freedom,
But to an overwhelmed brain,
It may feel like being handed an enormous blank page with no clear place to begin.
So if small decisions feel disproportionately difficult,
I want you to hear this.
Number one,
You're not alone.
But number two,
You are not incapable of making decisions.
Your brain may be simply doing too much work for each one.
One tangible skill that you can try is what I call the good enough decision filter.
Instead of asking what's the best choice,
Let's start with these three simple questions.
Is it safe?
Is it realistic?
Is it good enough for today?
That's it.
That's the whole filter.
So,
For example,
If you're trying to decide what to eat,
You don't have to find the healthiest,
Most satisfying,
Most perfectly affordable,
Perfectly balanced option.
You might just ask yourself.
Is this safe for me to eat?
Is it realistic with the time and energy that I have?
Is it good enough for today?
If the answer is yes,
You're allowed to choose it.
The goal is not to make the perfect decision.
The goal is to reduce the amount of energy that a decision requires.
You can also limit the number of options before you begin.
Rather than asking what should I wear,
Let's pick between two outfits.
Rather than researching every restaurant nearby,
Pick from one of three familiar places.
And rather than deciding what to do with the whole afternoon,
Choose between resting,
Completing a task,
Or going outside.
More options don't always create more freedom.
Sometimes they just create more noise.
And if you still can't choose,
Let's talk about defaults.
If you've ever watched The Big Bang Theory,
You know that they had a good idea.
They always had the same thing for dinner on each night.
So maybe Tuesday dinner is always pasta.
Maybe the first task that you do at work is always checking your calendar.
Maybe when two options are equally good,
You choose the easier one.
Defaults aren't boring or restrictive.
They're a way of saving your decision-making energy for the choices that actually matter.
You may even remind yourself,
This decision does not need to be my best thinking.
It only needs to be a workable answer.
And once you have chosen,
Try not to reopen the decision unless new information appears.
That part can be difficult,
Especially if your brain wants certainty.
But many everyday choices just don't have one correct answer.
They simply have several acceptable ones.
So the next time a small decision feels impossibly large,
Pause before criticizing yourself.
Reduce the options.
Use the filter.
Is it safe?
Is it realistic?
Is it good enough for today?
Then let yourself choose.
Not every decision deserves all of your energy.
Thanks so much for participating with me today.
I hope to see you in a future video or in the community.
Take care.
