I've decided that making decisions is bad, actually. Although accomplishing anything usually requires some number of decisions, all else being equal, the fewer decisions required, the greater the odds of success.

Imagine two daily drinkers, Annie and Britta, who want to cut back. On day one of this goal, Annie tells herself, "I don't drink" while Britta tells herself, "I'm going to drink less." Talking about alcohol here.

Who is more likely to succeed? As I see it, it's Annie. Annie made the initial decision to not drink, so that is who she is going forward. Declining a drink isn't a decision at all. Answering no whenever someone offers her a drink is as natural as answering 4 when the question is 2 + 2.

Britta, meanwhile, battles regular decision fatigue. On Sunday, the first day of the week, she decides to drink. She weighs her options on Monday: drinking for the first two days since setting the goal isn't a great start, so she decides not to drink. But in every waking moment lies a decision to do something besides drink. Britta's vague goal forces constant decision making. She could drink at any point, as long as it's less overall, so in every moment she decides whether or not to drink.

Willpower is a finite resource that depletes with each decision made. Better to floss your teeth immediately after brushing and condense two hygiene decisions into one. Better to get groceries without setting foot in the store. Better to write a short essay every day for a month instead of most days.

Alarming: "Do I write an essay today? Hmmm how am I feeling what's on my mind what do I have to do today?"

Charming: "I'm writing an essay today."