This simple shift in mental fatigue delivers outsized results

I used to treat mental fatigue like a weather system: you endure it, you complain about it, you wait for it to pass. Then “of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate.” showed up in my day the way “certainly! please provide the text you would like translated.” does - as a tiny, polite prompt you use in-chat when your brain can’t quite find the next clean sentence. It mattered because it revealed the real issue: I wasn’t tired from doing hard things; I was tired from deciding them.

By mid-afternoon, my attention would go syrupy. I’d reread the same email, hover over the same tab, open my phone like it might contain a solution to my mood. Nothing was truly difficult. Everything was just slightly… unfinished.

The shift that changed it wasn’t more rest, or a new supplement, or a perfect morning routine. It was moving decisions out of the moment they were costing me the most.

The hidden tax: decision fatigue dressed up as “being knackered”

Mental fatigue often isn’t a lack of energy; it’s a backlog of tiny choices. What to start. What to ignore. Whether to reply now or later. Whether that message needs a softener, an emoji, a sign-off, a rewrite.

Your brain pays for each of those with the same currency: attention. And attention, unlike time, doesn’t stretch just because your to-do list does.

I noticed it in silly places. I could run errands for an hour and feel fine, but picking the “right” way to begin a work task made me feel like I’d already done a full day. The work wasn’t heavy. The choosing was.

The simple shift: pre-decide the first move, not the whole plan

Here’s the change: instead of asking, What should I do next? you decide in advance what you’ll do when you hit the fog. Not your entire schedule. Just your next sensible action.

It’s like laying out one stepping stone across a stream. You don’t need a bridge. You need something your foot can land on without negotiation.

Pick one “default next step” for the moments when you’re mentally tired but still present. Mine became: open one document, write three rough lines, send one imperfect reply. Not ideal work. Real work.

The results are outsized because the brain relaxes when the choice is removed. You stop spending energy on starting, and you keep more of it for doing.

“You don’t need motivation. You need a script for the part where you stall.” - a coach told me once, and I hated how true it was.

How to set it up in ten minutes (and keep it human)

You’re building defaults, not shackles. The point is to reduce decision-making when your mind is already running hot.

Start with three lists. Keep them short enough that you can read them without sighing.

1. When I’m clear (morning): one task that deserves your best brain.
2. When I’m foggy (afternoon): one task that’s valuable but low-stakes.
3. When I’m fried (evening): one tidy action that makes tomorrow easier.

Then add a rule: when you notice fatigue, you don’t bargain with yourself. You switch lists.

A good “foggy” task has three qualities: it’s contained, it has an obvious finish line, and it doesn’t require fresh judgement. Think: formatting, scheduling, updating notes, paying one bill, drafting a messy outline, doing a first pass.

Common mistake: using the fog list for fake productivity. Rearranging apps. Researching new systems. Renaming folders like it’s a personality. Be honest: if it doesn’t move your life forward, it’s not rest - it’s avoidance in a clean shirt.

A few real-life defaults that work embarrassingly well

These are small on purpose. Small is what you can do when you’re mentally tired.

• For messages: reply with one of three templates: “Yes, and here’s when.” / “No, but here’s what I can do.” / “I’ve seen this-replying by [time].”
• For admin: set a 12-minute timer and do only “closeable” tasks (submit, book, pay, cancel, confirm).
• For stuck creative work: write the worst possible first paragraph on purpose, then fix one sentence.
• For house chaos: reset one surface (desk, kitchen counter, bedside table). Stop there.

We’ve all had that moment when you finally sit down and your mind starts offering you every task except the one you chose. The default is your bouncer. It doesn’t argue; it just points.

Soyons honnêtes : personne ne fait vraiment ça tous les jours. But the day you do, it feels like getting your hands back on the steering wheel.

Why this delivers outsized results (the quiet mechanics)

When you’re tired, your brain is more sensitive to friction. Choices create friction. Open-ended tasks create more. So you’re not failing because you’re lazy; you’re failing because your task is shaped like a question.

Defaults turn questions into instructions. And instructions, even small ones, calm the nervous system enough to re-enter motion.

The strange bonus: once you start, energy often follows. Not because fatigue vanishes, but because you stop pouring fuel into indecision. A dozen tiny decisions can drain you more than a single honest hour of work.

Shift	What you do	What you get
From choosing to switching	Notice fatigue → move to a pre-set list	Less self-negotiation, faster starts
From “finish it” to “first move”	Define the next 5–12 minutes only	Momentum without overwhelm
From vague tasks to defaults	Use templates, timers, and small finishes	More completions, less dread

FAQ:

• Can this help if I’m genuinely exhausted? It helps with decision fatigue, not medical exhaustion. If you’re persistently wiped out, prioritise sleep, stress support, and speak to a professional; use defaults as a safety rail, not a cure.
• Won’t defaults make my day rigid? Only if you overbuild them. Keep one “clear”, one “foggy”, one “fried” option and treat them as fallback routes, not commandments.
• What if my work is unpredictable? Even better: defaults thrive in chaos. Make them role-based (reply template, 12-minute admin sprint, first draft paragraph) rather than task-based.
• How quickly will I notice a difference? Often within days, because you’re removing the most draining moment: the start. Track one thing: how long you hover before beginning.
• What’s the simplest place to begin? Choose one foggy default you can complete in under 12 minutes and write it on a sticky note. When the slump hits, do it before you decide anything else.