Latest / PTT Music Podcast / Beat Decision Fatigue and Reclaim Your Focus

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Beat Decision Fatigue and Reclaim Your Focus · PTT Music Podcast

• 0:21
  So I, I was standing in the supermarket aisle for, oh, it must have been a solid
• 0:25
  fifteen minutes yesterday, just staring at this massive wall of toothpaste.
• 0:31
  I mean, whitening, enamel care, deep clean, charcoal infused...
• 0:37
  by the time I actually picked one, I felt like I had just sat through a three hour
• 0:41
  lecture.
• 0:43
  It was exhausting.
• 0:44
  No, that is completely real.
• 0:47
  There is actually a massive cognitive tax on that.
• 0:51
  Researchers estimate that the average adult makes around thirty five thousand
• 0:57
  decisions every single day.
• 0:59
  Thirty five thousand, Ava.
• 1:01
  It is wild.
• 1:03
  Wait, thirty five thousand?
• 1:06
  In one day?
• 1:07
  That is...
• 1:08
  that is absolutely crazy.
• 1:11
  How is that even possible?
• 1:13
  I do not even think I say that many words in a day.
• 1:16
  Well, a lot of them are semi conscious, right?
• 1:19
  Like, do I turn left now, do I check my phone, do I open this email.
• 1:24
  But even the small ones build up.
• 1:27
  There is a famous Cornell University study by researchers Wansink and Sobal that
• 1:32
  looked at just food.
• 1:33
  They found the average participant made about two hundred twenty six point seven
• 1:38
  decisions about food alone every single day.
• 1:42
  Two hundred twenty six point seven?
• 1:45
  Just on what to eat, or drink, or, like, whether to have another potato chip?
• 1:52
  Exactly.
• 1:54
  Should I take another bite, should I put salt on this, do I want water or tea.
• 2:00
  And the problem is, your brain treats decision making like a muscle.
• 2:05
  Every single choice, no matter how tiny, drains a little bit of your fuel.
• 2:10
  That is why by four in the afternoon, when you need to make a massive,
• 2:14
  high impact life or business decision, you just...
• 2:18
  you literally cannot.
• 2:20
  Your brain is totally fried because you spent all morning answering sixty emails and
• 2:26
  choosing between five different shirts.
• 2:28
  Oh, I have lived that.
• 2:31
  I remember this creative session I had a few months back.
• 2:35
  I was supposed to be writing, just purely focusing on the music.
• 2:39
  But before I even got to the studio, I spent an hour trying to choose which coffee
• 2:44
  shop to go to, then what specific blend to buy, then which notebook felt right...
• 2:50
  um, ruled paper or blank paper.
• 2:54
  By the time I actually picked up my guitar, my head was just...
• 2:59
  it was empty.
• 3:00
  The creative reserve was completely bone dry, and I had not even written a single
• 3:05
  note yet.
• 3:06
  It is like you ran a mental marathon before the actual race even started.
• 3:12
  We do not realize how those micro decisions eat away at our willpower.
• 3:18
  We think we are just being thorough, but really, we are just taxing our minds for no
• 3:23
  good reason.
• 3:24
  So, I mean, how do we stop the bleeding?
• 3:27
  Because we cannot just stop making choices.
• 3:30
  Life happens, right?
• 3:33
  Right, you cannot stop them, but you can, you know, predecide them.
• 3:39
  The key is creating rules of thumb.
• 3:41
  Automated default choices for the low stakes stuff so your brain does not even have
• 3:46
  to engage.
• 3:47
  Like, having a set uniform for work, or eating the exact same breakfast every
• 3:52
  weekday.
• 3:53
  Mm, yes!
• 3:55
  Eliminating the debate before it even starts.
• 3:58
  And you know what else really helps me clear that decision fog?
• 4:02
  It is the environment we build around ourselves.
• 4:05
  When I am trying to focus and my brain is still buzzing with all those secondary
• 4:09
  choices, I love playing the PTT Music track called "Choose It."
• 4:14
  It is so upbeat, but more than that, it is about making a choice and moving forward
• 4:20
  with confidence.
• 4:21
  Listening to "Choose It" acts like a sound boundary for me.
• 4:25
  It shuts down all that background noise and just anchors my focus.
• 4:30
  That is the perfect track for this, Ava.
• 4:33
  "Choose It" really hits the nail on the head.
• 4:35
  The energy in that song is all about committing to a direction and not looking back.
• 4:41
  It gives your mind a track to run on so you do not get derailed by every little
• 4:45
  distraction.
• 4:46
  It is like an external brain anchor.
• 4:49
  Yes!
• 4:49
  Exactly.
• 4:50
  It keeps you moving forward instead of spinning in circles.
• 4:54
  So, let us give everyone some immediate, practical tools to fight back against this
• 5:00
  decision fatigue.
• 5:01
  We have got three action steps you can start using today.
• 5:05
  First, create a morning zero decision runway.
• 5:09
  Script the first forty five minutes of your morning the night before.
• 5:13
  Lay out your clothes, decide exactly what you are having for breakfast,
• 5:17
  and know your route.
• 5:19
  Do not let your brain make a single heavy choice until you are fully awake.
• 5:23
  I love that.
• 5:24
  The second step is to use the two minute choice timer.
• 5:29
  For any low stakes decision, like picking a restaurant, choosing a movie,
• 5:34
  or even drafting a simple email, give yourself a strict two minute limit.
• 5:39
  Set a physical timer if you have to.
• 5:41
  It trains your mind to be decisive and stops you from overthinking the small stuff.
• 5:46
  And third, set a sonic execution signal.
• 5:50
  Pick one specific, high energy track like "Choose It" by PTT Music,
• 5:56
  and play it exclusively when it is time to stop planning and start executing.
• 6:01
  It is a psychological trigger that tells your brain, okay, the time for choosing is
• 6:06
  over, now we are doing the work.
• 6:09
  That is so powerful.
• 6:10
  It really is about protecting that mental energy so we can use it for what actually
• 6:16
  matters.
• 6:16
  That's right, Ava...
• 6:18
  Again, thanks for spending this time with us on the PTT Music Podcast.
• 6:23
  We hope today's conversation left you inspired, encouraged,
• 6:27
  and ready to carry that energy with you wherever life takes you.
• 6:31
  I'm Jordan Sterling...
• 6:32
  And I'm Ava Brooks.
• 6:33
  We'll see you next time for another conversation that celebrates creativity,
• 6:38
  purpose, and the power of music.
• 6:40
  If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to continue the journey with us.
• 6:45
  Visit PTTMusic.com to explore our latest music, official videos,
• 6:50
  exclusive merchandise, artist updates, and much more.
• 6:54
  You can also stream PTT Music on your favorite music platforms.
• 6:59
  And be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with
• 7:03
  someone who could use a little inspiration today...
• 7:06
  Until next time, keep moving forward.
• 7:08
  And let the PTT Music continue to move you closer to who you truly are.