Being a libra I have been admirably good at maintaining a balance, but equally questionable when it comes to making a choice, for the love of God.
So imagine my relief when I discovered that there’s actual psychology behind it.

Decision fatigue is actually a thing. Apparently, there’s more to my indecisiveness than being born in September.

If you’ve never heard about decision fatigue – It suggests that making repeated decisions can become mentally exhausting, especially when we’re already tired or overwhelmed. And when that happens, we might put decisions off, make impulsive ones, or avoid choosing altogether.

Let me elaborate.

Imagine this. You’ve had a long day at work, you come home looking forward to a warm dinner, open Netflix to find something to watch while eating, and suddenly your food is cold. You’ve spent twenty minutes looking for ONE GOOD THING TO WATCH, only to give up and eat in silence.
That sums it up.

And I think that’s why, as much as we enjoy having options, we also love knowing when we don’t need them.

There’s a sense of relief when I know I’m going to the same cafe, ordering the same drink and walking out happy instead of deciding from their entire new winter menu. 

Same with food
Same with clothes
Same with my perfumes

We call it signature 
Because that sounds more chic 

But beneath the fancy name is the very practical pleasure of knowing exactly what you like, without having to audition fifty other options.

Of course, this doesn’t mean familiarity is always better than novelty. 

Half the fun of life is discovering something new. 

But there’s a difference between wanting to explore your options and feeling like you must explore every single one before making a decision.

While I was busy being grateful for my usual order, brands were apparently making an entire business out of how we choose.
Which, as someone who majored in marketing, feels like something my university really should’ve mentioned.

Choice architecture  (I’m sorry for introducing another term, but stay with me. This one’s worth knowing.)

It is essentially the way options are presented to us, and how that presentation can influence what we end up choosing.

Look at it this way, In the scope of digital design, Decision fatigue and Choice architecture go hand in hand 

Think about how Amazon nudges you toward one-day shipping, how Netflix auto-plays the next episode to keep you binge-watching, or how social media platforms encourage endless scrolling.

These aren’t random design choices, they are carefully crafted experiences that leverage human psychology to direct behaviour.

None of this means we don’t have a choice. We do. But the way those choices are presented can make some options feel more obvious than others.

And for brands, that’s valuable. Making decisions easier can mean fewer people giving up halfway through a purchase.

Sometimes having fewer decisions makes our lives easier. Other times, it makes us easier to sell to.

And maybe that’s what makes our little comforts so valuable.

We all have them. The show we rewatch, the meal we order, the clothes we reach for, and even the people we can spend hours doing absolutely nothing with.

There’s something comforting about knowing exactly what you’re getting, and knowing you’ll enjoy it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily try a new restaurant, experiment with a different perfume and occasionally convince myself I’m becoming a matcha person.

But I don’t need every little thing to be a new experience. Sometimes, I’d rather stick to what I know I love.

And if that means ordering the same McDonald’s meal every weekend for the hundredth time, so be it.

Because after a whole day of making decisions, there’s something almost luxurious about being able to say, I’ll have my usual, Thanks.