At some point this year, have you noticed that thinking clearly feels harder than it should?
You’re not less capable. You haven’t lost your edge. But if the number of decisions landing on your plate hasn’t slowed down, your brain is carrying more than it can hold and that shows up as mental fog, slower thinking, and a sense that you’re always a step behind.
This year, I’ve seen this pattern come up again and again with the leaders I work with.
One team I spent time with couldn’t figure out why they felt so drained. The work wasn’t harder than usual. But when we mapped where their mental energy was going, we found it was scattered across dozens of small decisions every week – the kind that feel quick but add up fast.
We worked through a simple categorisation:
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Automate – anything recurring that could be turned into a default or a rule, so it stops coming back to you every time.
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Delegate – decisions that belong with someone closer to the work, who has the context to make a good call without needing you.
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Batch – similar decisions handled together in one go, rather than draining a little energy each time they land individually.
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Elevate – the decisions that genuinely need you, because they’re strategic, high-impact, or important enough to deserve your best thinking.
What changed for that team wasn’t the amount of work. It was where their attention went. With fewer low-value decisions competing for space, they could think more clearly, spot patterns earlier, and respond faster to the things that actually mattered.
Decision design isn’t a leadership luxury. It’s a basic maintenance habit – and most leaders don’t do it until something breaks.
You don’t have to wait until you’re running on empty.
We work with leaders to build the focus, clarity and skills that make leading feel less like surviving and more like leading. Check out our programs at here.
