Coping With Design Decision Fatigue: Tips for Making Choices Easier

Remodeling your house is incredibly exciting. You’re making your current home into your dream home, adding space, functionality, upgrades, and styles you love and have probably been dreaming about for a while. And while it’s rewarding to see the design and remodeling process play out, it can be overwhelming too. Suddenly you’re faced with more decisions that need to be made than you ever thought possible. As you make choices for your new space, you might start feeling some decision fatigue creep in. But don’t worry: we’ve all been there. And we’ve got ways to help.

What is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue is a recognized phenomenon where you’re making so many decisions that it starts to noticeably affect you. The more decisions you’re required to make over the course of a day, the more physically, emotionally, and mentally depleted you may become. Decision fatigue is most common when

• you’re making a lot of decisions every single day.
• your decisions will have effects on those you love or those you are responsible for.
• you’re in a stressful situation.
• you are a perfectionist or you find yourself afraid of making the “wrong” choice.

All of these factors can play into a home remodel. You have to make so many decisions: Brass or black hardware in the bathroom? Cream or gray paint in the foyer? Save on less expensive tile for the backsplash or splurge? And the list goes on. The choices you make now will affect your family and loved ones, and will likely be there for a while–you’re not going to remodel your kitchen again anytime soon. Remodeling can be stressful with people in and out of your home and the feeling of being displaced (or needing to move out for a while!). And you may very well uncover some perfectionist tendencies as you try to make the right choice for every detail of your home.

Simply put: decision fatigue is a real possibility when designing and remodeling a home. 

How Do I Know If I Have Decision Fatigue?

If you find yourself with some or all of the following symptoms and you’re in the middle of a remodel or other busy season, you probably have decision fatigue:

• Are you putting off decisions or unable to make them?
• Are you making impulsive decisions, saying things like “I don’t know, just use that one”?
• Are you physically exhausted, wanting nothing more than a nap or a good cry?
• Do you have brain fog? Are you having trouble finishing your sentences or are you forgetting things?
• Are you ruminating over decisions you’ve already made, second-guessing yourself, or feeling regret or dissatisfaction?
• Are you experiencing physical symptoms like headaches or upset stomachs?

How Can Decision Fatigue Impact My Project?

Your home remodel is important, and you want the decisions you make to be well-considered and clear, that you’ll love for years to come. When you’re dealing with decision fatigue, the quality of your decisions will go down over time. You might feel great in the morning and make choices with confidence, but by the end of the day, you’re struggling. This could lead to dissatisfaction with your choices.

If you do end up second-guessing your decisions or wanting to change them, your project will experience delays and will likely end up costing more as new materials will be ordered and more work will be necessary to make the changes. This is okay and sometimes will happen over the course of a project, but it’s better to avoid these change orders when possible.

Decision fatigue will suck the fun out of your remodeling project. You’ll also feel a lot more stress than you need to feel. You’ll overthink what should be easy decisions because they will all start to feel like huge ones. While parts of a remodel can be stressful and overwhelming, we want your overall experience to be rewarding and enjoyable! We want you to be excited and happy about the changes you’re watching take place in your home. If your experience is being marred by decision fatigue, you won’t enjoy it.

7 Tips for Combatting Decision Fatigue

1. Remove any extra choices

You’ve probably heard Steve Jobs and others talking about wearing a daily uniform to reduce the amount of decisions they need to make each day. While that specific choice may or may not be for you, take a page from that playbook and reduce all the extra decisions you can during your remodel. Make meals easy by having the same breakfast every day. Or decide once to stop for coffee on your way to work on Mondays. Whatever you can do to reduce the number of decisions your brain has to process will help.

2. Set clear priorities at the outset

Before you begin your remodel, make sure you and your team are clear on your priorities. What aspects of your project are “must haves” and what are “nice to haves”? Knowing before you start what the most important parts of the project are to you will help you know where to focus your decision-making energy.

3. Prepare mentally and organizationally before you start

If you know going in that decision fatigue is a possibility, you may be able to prevent it, at least to some degree. Set up easy-to-follow morning and evening routines that you can do on auto-pilot. Knowing that decisions are easier to make in the morning after a good night’s sleep, try to schedule some time to make choices before work instead of after, when you’re already tired.

Start collecting images and samples of home styles and decor that you like. Share these with your designer so she knows what you’re going for with your remodel. Talk through what types of choices you’ll need to make and when, so you’re not caught off guard.

4. Break big decisions down

If you see “choose all paint colors” on your to-do list, you’re sure to become overwhelmed quickly. See how much smaller you can make each decision to decrease stress. “Choose bathroom trim color” is much more manageable. 

5. Try to visualize the final outcome

Use mood boards, Pinterest, and design software to visualize your space. When you have a good grasp of the big picture, it’s often easier to make each individual piece reflect it. For example, if your Project Developer puts together 3D renderings of what your new kitchen will look like, you’ll feel more confident as you look at it, to choose what style of appliances will best fit the space than if you were trying to just imagine what they might look like.

6. Take care of yourself

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, some exercise, and some downtime. Remodeling can be stressful and you’re not at the top of your game when you’re overtired and overworked. Step away from everything for a walk around the block or go to the movies with your kids. Get your mind off the project and let it have time to refuel. You’ll make much better decisions when you come back.

7. Ask for help

While there are some decisions you will want to make on your own, delegate where you can. If it’s not a priority, let someone else decide for you. A trusted designer or contractor can make some of the decisions for you, and you can trust them to choose well.

Ask for limited choices. A good designer or Project Developer will gain an understanding of your style and what you like and will be able to simplify your decision-making by giving you good choices. It’s better to have three options that are all terrific than fifteen options where some of them aren’t great.

A design-build company, like McLennan Contracting, will be able to help you make decisions that fit your priorities. We spend a lot of time in the project development phase of the remodeling process because we know that the best way to give you a finished project that you love is to plan it thoroughly and well before we start. We get to know you–your specific needs and wants, your goals and priorities, your likes and dislikes–so we can help you achieve the home of your dreams.

Decision fatigue is real, and it’s something you may experience as you remodel your home. But we’re here to help. Not only can we guide you through the selection process, help you prioritize your decisions, and lead you to great options, but we also care about how the remodeling process is affecting you and your family. We want you to have a great experience and we will do everything we can to make that happen. Ready to get started? Contact us today and let’s discuss your desires for your home.