Deciding Once

Keeping it simple, for when I'm stupid

Steve Jobs was famous for wearing the same outfit every day - that’s a great application of the ‘Decide Once’ principle. Rather than putting his energy into thinking about clothing, he just wore the same thing, and freed up his mental space and creative energy for other things. Personally, I love clothes and novelty too much to do that, but I wanted to share with you a few ways in which I ‘Decide Once’ to help simplify life.

I’m a big fan of Kendra Adachi, writer of The Lazy Genius Way* (*Ad - link which gives me commission) and host of The Lazy Genius podcast. The ‘lazy genius’ philosophy is about, in Kendra’s words, being ‘a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.’ There are 13 principles that explain how to do this - but the one that I think is most important is this: Decide Once.

I’m not sure how ‘decision fatigue’ really works, but I know that I feel more worn out when there’s lots going on and I have to actively think about tonnes of decisions every day. To make life simpler, there are some shortcuts that I live by - decisions that I don’t have to make.

1 - Gifts and Hampers

There are so many places online to get presents sent directly to people. Whether I want to send a ‘get well soon’ care package of tea and cake, or a bottle of something sparkling to celebrate someone getting a new job or moving home, I go to one place: Marks & Spencer’s. They update their range of gifts throughout the year, so there are always new options, and they range from sub-£20 all the way up to £100 and beyond. You can pick a date for delivery, and the many many gifts I’ve sent through M&S have always arrived on time and in good condition.

For weddings, I always accompany my ‘congratulations’ card with a cookbook that has a link to the planned honeymoon or a hobby of the couple’s. In this era where many people already have lives built together before they get married, and so aren’t registering for teaspoons and crockery, I think it’s a nice way to symbolise moving into the next phase of life.

2 - Party Accessories

Choosing what to wear for a formal event can be difficult enough before you start thinking about shoes and bags. For pretty much every wedding or fancy party I go to, I start off in my Esska heels (super comfortable) and then change into glittery Converse for the dancing, both in gold. I then have a simple gold leather clutch bag (similar to this) that goes with them - and I carry a relatively smart-looking canvas bag with my spare shoes, jacket, and anything I else I need in it.

3 - Fast Fashion and Fussy Foundations

I just don’t shop at Shein, Temu, Cider, and so on. I’m sure some of the brands I do shop at have sub-par environmental and social practices too, but I have a list in my head of companies I avoid. It’s a lot easier to ignore adverts when I can look at the promoting company and say ‘no’ without having to think any further about it.

Relatedly, I never buy any clothes that would need special ‘foundation garments.’. It doesn’t even occur to me, until I see people posting in some of my Facebook groups, looking for recommendations of stick-on bras and other contraptions to be able to wear tops and dresses with complicated necklines and bodices.

4 - Shopping Small

Kind of the opposite to no. 3: I will never feel bad about spending small amounts of money in small businesses. An occasional £10 purchase in a bookshop, art store, or indie bakery helps create the world I want to live in, and doesn’t materially impact the amount of cash I have left to achieve my personal goals (which I’m conscious isn’t true of everyone’s situation).

5 - Regular Groceries

I know, I know, everyone says to meal plan. But doing that reminds me of the time during lockdown when I only went into a food shop once per week and I had to plan carefully to make sure I always had the essentials in my cupboards. And as someone single who lives alone, I like to have the flexibility to change my plans easily when friends text me with ideas of nice things to do. So instead, I shop for one or two specific meals per week, and beyond that my food shops are more about making sure I have my everyday essentials in my fridge and cupboards. Without even thinking about it, then, I put eggs, bananas, and peppers on my shopping list pretty much every week.

Some products I’m really picky about: my peanut butter is always Pip & Nut*, my tea is always Clipper Fairtrade* and my chocolate spread is always La Bonne Maman*. But tomato soup? Ketchup? Mayonnaise? Nah - I’ll buy whatever’s on offer.

A necessary caveat for the ‘Decide Once’ principle is that a decision doesn’t have to stand forever. It’s not a rule for life, to be held to stubbornly even when circumstances change. It’s just a starting point, so I don’t have to start at first principles to make a decision from scratch every time.

I’d love to hear what it is you “Decide Once” in your lives.

Speak soon,

Lily

Missed Friday’s recommendations post?