How to reduce decision fatigue as a digital nomad

Not dreaming of becoming a digital nomad? If that's the case, then you are lucky as you can simplify your life and reduce decision fatigue by staying in one place, if you can just wear the same t-shirt every day, even better. Not worrying about your next destination frees up mental energy for what truly matters to you.

On the other hand if you have a bucket list full of places you want to go to and wouldn't want to live out your life and miss out on visiting these places you are a bit screwed, however there are other ways how to reduce decision fatigue and make it work.

This problem is something you have to face when you travel more around places with limited visa duration of stay or just want to keep moving and exploring new places while working remotely.

Pandemic lockdown - how easy life is if you have no options

Oh, how simple life was: stay home, go out carefully, and avoid social gatherings. If you are introverted you must have loved it a bit. It also helped me realize that I am not willing to travel if there are more obstacles added to the equation.

So over time I ended up thinking more and more about how difficult life is if you have too many options, but I think I developed a relatively good system on how to make it bearable, and don't get me wrong I probably prefer freedom over quarantine.

Now that I don't travel anymore, life is a lot simpler and routines are a lot more consistent, which probably doesn't come as a surprise.

Tips on how to reduce decision fatigue

Over time, develop a system that reduces how many decisions you are making so you can run on autopilot. You could have a summer and winter routine that's mostly consistent, but there is no point in keeping this too rigid.

1. Find balance between explore and exploit

At some point, you will have some favorite places that you know well and can come back to 'exploit' them, yet there will always be more and more places to explore (diving into the unknown).

2. Eliminate as many places as you can from your travel list

If you don't like chopsticks, just don't ever go to Asia, make life easy for yourself. Hate the Spanish language? Great, you just saved yourself having to ever go to Mexico, South America, and Spain. Don't like American culture? Even better, as that removes the US and maybe Mexico from the equation.

You don't need to travel the whole world, go where you want based on your likes and needs (e.g. fast internet, good air quality, low chance of being kidnapped, great tacos).

If you are a bit like me and love spicy Mexican food, had a dream of becoming a luchador at some point in your life then maybe you will have to go to Mexico.

Pro Tip: if are you tempted to go to Los Angeles, just play GTA V; it's hard to find a difference.

3. Rent for at least a month

If you are renting primarily on Airbnb you can save both money and time having to make another decision by renting for a longer period. This comes at a risk that you will stay somewhere longer than you would like but after staying a month in a place like that you will be more careful with your future choices.

4. Resist any FOMO

If you read this far, you are probably unable to get rid of wanderlust from your life, and there is probably no need. Just keep in mind that travel in general is overrated. There is an opportunity cost whenever you go somewhere, and it contributes to climate change.

Why not just watch a documentary about the place you are interested in, or find foreigners in your home country? Sure it won't be as exciting but you might actually learn more about the world than most travelers do by getting on a plane.