Simplification
Less decision fatigue = not shockingly, more zen
Over the past few weeks, I canceled three of my credit cards. Cue the shocked gasps.
For those of you who know me personally or have seen some of my prior thoughts (like this), this might be a bit surprising. However, The Household (as I like to refer to the collective decision making body) has decided to take a mindset of simplifying in 2026. As such, we’re streamlining the credit cards we keep.
As much as it pained me to cancel some of my cards—I may or may not have likened it to chopping off a limb in a moment of particular sadness—I’m pleased to report that it has made me feel more zen when I buy things. Picking which card to use has become a much faster, simpler process. The decision criteria are very clear, and I no longer have to make mini-optimization choices on the fly. (In particular, I now have one card that yields 2x per dollar spent no matter the category, rather than multiple that I have to choose between.)
[If you laughed at this, please feel free to go ahead and ❤️ this post to get it to more readers!]
As I made this observation, I started to ponder what else I can simplify in my life. My wardrobe has gradually evolved towards a capsule wardrobe (though slightly more generous in variety). Getting dressed has become a much simpler process, although sometimes I feel a little plain.
When I go to the gym, I have a trainer who tells me what to do, so I don’t have to make extra decisions about what to focus on. I’ve noticed that when I go to work out by myself, I am often overwhelmed by the options and resort to the same set of 5-6 exercises as well. (Probably not the best for my overall strength training though, so I’m glad for my trainer.)
I am a big fan of variety in my food, but I’ve started to meal plan for the week with a formula into which the meals slot. There’s usually a big batch meal on Sunday or Monday that will cover at least a few lunches into the week. Midweek, there’s usually another big batch cook to get us through until the weekend. The formula itself is quite repetitive though I try to mix up what we eat within the slots.
Anyway…this wouldn’t be a complete newsletter without a meta reflection. The question that I keep going back to is:
What’s the point of life?
Is it one big optimization/simplification equation to be solved? Does doing that too much remove the beauty in the day to day?
And once again, I think the answer is somewhere in the realm of tradeoffs. It all depends on whether I am excited to spend time and energy on a given task. If the investment is worth a differentiated outcome, then it should probably remain in the “do (more) manually for the beauty and fun of it” category. I guess in large part, this is another manifestation of saying no to drive happiness.
Curious for thoughts from you all on finding this balance—pile in with comments!