If you're like me, you've spent most of your life overthinking decisions.

Like, way overthinking—carefully considering all the variables, nuances, and perspectives...

Even for small choices that "should" be simple:

• Which restaurant to eat at;

• Which shampoo to buy;

• Whether you should go to that party you were invited to;

• Whether it's ok to skip working out today;

• Which todo list item your should start with (and which todo app to use!)...

Here are 3 ways of dealing with "small" decisions:

#1: Offload

• How can you get someone or something else to make the decision for you?

• For example, instead of endlessly researching which blender or toaster to buy, just get whatever Wirecutter.com (or your review site of choice) recommends.

• Or, figure out which of your friends is most likely to know about this kind of thing, and ask them which model they own or how they'd choose.

#2: Randomize

• Flip a coin or roll a die.

• Notice exactly how you feel when the result comes up. You might think you're unsure. But as soon as it lands, you'll often realize how you really feel. Is it relief or disappointment?

#3: Criteria

• Base your decision 100% on a single piece of criteria.

• For example: whichever option is cheapest, lowest stress, or most adventurous.

• Remove as much subjective interpretation as possible. Make it mechanical. Ignore everything other than that one piece of criteria.

What small-scale decisions do you tend to struggle with?

Which of my strategies can you apply today?

P.S. You'll probably worry that you're missing out on something "better" by "settling" (instead of applying a more rigorous decision-making framework here).

But, what you're actually doing is giving yourself a gift: cutting short the suffering you experience by dragging out the decision.

And, you're preserving your willpower energy for the bigger decisions that really matter.