Supposedly, every one of us takes about 35,000 decisions a day. That’s a lot. And it’s only the average. If you happen to run a company or a large family, this number may even be higher. No wonder that not all of our decisions are great! I would say, considering that number we can be happy that any of our decisions actually feel—and turn out—right. But plenty of decisions aren’t, and that’s because the quality of our decision-making decreases over the course of the day and decision fatigue hits.

The result: You may come home from work and miraculously all your resolve to go to the gym or prepare a healthy meal has evaporated and you find yourself on the couch, binge-watching your favorite show while having a pint of icecream for dinner. Yep, that’s decision fatigue, and it’s pretty normal. But there are things you can do to prevent or minimize it. Here are my top tips:

Take decisions when you’re fresh

Plenty of studies show that we take our best decisions when we are well rested, which translates to the first couple of hours of our day or at least when we are not hungry.

So maybe sitting down with your partner when you come home from work and decide whether to quit your jobs and move to the beach is not ideal. How about postponing that potentially life-changing decision to the weekend brunch? Or at least take a break and enjoy a nice dinner together before diving right in.

Plan certain decisions ahead of time

Let’s go back to the example of the gym visit that turned into a couch session. It may be normal, but it’s also among the easier things to get back on your schedule. Actually, that’s the hack: It has to be on your schedule, full stop.

If exercising is what you do at certain times on certain days (and your calendar says so), it’s not a decision to be made, but an activity to be carried out. I’m not saying this little trick will turn you into a gym rat or you’ll never bail again—but your chances of going are much higher.

Don’t take certain decisions at all

Turns out lots of successful people spare themselves the decision of what to wear in the mornings by wearing a kind of uniform. That may not be the right approach for you, but there are plenty of decisions you could skip: what to eat for breakfast, what music to listen to during your runs, where and when to take the dog for a walk.

Pretty much anything can be standardized somewhat. It is helpful, though, if it’s an area in which you don't enjoy to take decisions.

For example, if you love rummaging through your closet but don’t care much for variety on your plate, simplify your life by doing meal prep. Granted, it’s a lot of work, but only once a week and then you’re set. On a smaller scale, I order the same dish from the same restaurant until I am fed up with it. Then I choose the next one until it’s getting old. I’ve done that for years and it has taken a lot of stress out of restaurant visits. Because at dinner time, I am usually so far in decision fatigue land I can’t even tell you if I want Thai or Italian, not to mention choose a particular dish. Evidently, this only works for me because I am not a foodie—probably to the same extent Mark Zuckerberg is not a fashionista (an assumption on my part, of course).

No matter what you decide to do—and make it a good decision!—don’t listen to anybody that tells you how boring it is to always wear the same outfit or eat the same stuff or take the same walk at the same time every day, even if that somebody is yourself. Yes, variety is a nice thing but we don’t all need the same amount of it, and certainly not in the same areas of life.

So I would invite you to take the decisions you’ll have to take because, life—and the ones you enjoy taking. Skip or schedule or standardize the rest. Science totally supports that this approach will benefit the decisions you make—and therefore your peace of mind.

What are your tips to improve decision-making?