People make roughly 35,000 decisions a day.
If you’re interested in minimalism or simplicity, you may have come across this number before.
From the moment we wake up, we’re choosing things like:
– what to wear
– what to eat for breakfast
– how to get to the station
– who to have lunch
with Small choices like these continue all day long.
For the past few years, I’ve been trying to reduce these “micro‑decisions” as much as possible.
My clothes are always black,
both top and bottom. Breakfast is almost always a fried egg.
And for transportation, I basically only use my car. There’s no room for hesitation.
The same goes for my belongings. We hesitate because we have options.
If the options don’t exist, there’s nothing to think about.
As a photographer, I own a lot of equipment for client work.
But when it comes to personal belongings, I have very few:
– a wallet
– one tote bag
– one small sacoche
– a few pens
– a few books
The sacoche stays inside the tote bag at all times,
so I rarely think about whether to bring it or not.
By reducing choices, I’m essentially removing the act of deciding itself.
The benefit of fewer decisions
The biggest advantage is simple: you stop getting tired from things that don’t matter.
The decisions I want to focus on are:
– the direction of my company’s work
– whether to take on certain projects
– how to move forward as Nob Pagnotta
These are the choices that actually require my attention.
So things like “what should I wear today” or “what should I eat” are decisions I’d rather automate.
Keeping things simple because it’s easier
There’s no deeper meaning behind it.
It’s just easier this way.
When you own less, you spend less time searching and less time thinking.
Your mind stays clear. And you can put your energy into what actually matters.
