If dinner feels weirdly hard — not even the cooking, but the deciding — you’re not imagining it.
By late afternoon, your brain has already made hundreds of decisions.
So when someone asks, “What’s for dinner?” and you feel instantly annoyed, blank, or defeated...
that’s decision fatigue, my friend.
Your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for planning and choosing) is energy-expensive. By 4:47pm, it’s already tired. And food decisions are sneakily complex: preferences, health, budget, time, kids, energy, expectations.
Dinner isn’t "hard". Decision fatigue is.
This is why I am SO FRIGGIN passionate about simplified meal planning (read: automated meals, read: theme nights on repeat, baby). It removes decisions your brain doesn’t need to make anymore.
Fewer food decisions = • more patience • steadier energy • less irritability • more emotional capacity
This is what I mean when I say food systems aren’t about control — they’re about cognitive offloading.
When you can say: “This is decided already.”
…your brain gets to rest.
The theme inside the Habit Lab for February includes simplified meal planning — not in a rigid, diet-y way, but in a “how do I stop carrying this mental load every single day?” way.
If dinner has been the thing that pushes you over the edge lately, then you’re brain is tapped.
It is just simply done deciding. And there is another way.
A tiny thing you can try tonight
Pick ONE dinner you’re willing to repeat once a week. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just the one that feels neutral and easy.
That’s a default.
Every default you create is one less decision your brain has to carry.
For us, relief started with declaring Tuesdays as “Noodle Night.” Now every night has a theme because our brains needed fewer questions. Period.
Got any dinner hacks? Hit reply and I’ll share them with the class.
xoxo, Katie
PS: The Habit Lab used to be a higher-priced container. I made it more accessible on purpose. If simplifying food decisions would help right now, you can join for $9/month or $79/year — and I over-explain exactly how we feed six humans every night & I have a few printable cheat sheets for you. live group call tomorrow, replay always available.
Current Podcast Release:
Shailey & Katie's Lemonade Stand:
Happy Home Organization & Style Series Part 1: Konmari and the life-changing magic of tidying up review!
February: New monthly theme: Simplified Meal-Planning inside the Habit Lab I'm giving away my formula for no-brainer prep.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 10th: Zoom Live Group Coaching inside the Habit Lab. If you've been wanting to join, but not sure when, jumping in for a live call, is a great move! Join the lab (new lower price! $9 or $79!) and jump in!
March 2-4: I'll be a keynote speaker and workshop leader for the Landlocked Luxury Conference in Milwaukee. If you have any inkling that you might want to go, DO IT. It is going to be epic. Ten tickets left!
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
— Steve Jobs
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