Introduction: The More You Decide, the Slower You Become

Most people think success comes from making better decisions. They study decision-making frameworks. They analyze pros and cons. They overthink. They consider alternatives. They try to become better at choosing. But the truth is simple: the more decisions you make, the slower you become.

I’m Dr Connor Robertson, and one of the most powerful upgrades I ever implemented was designing my life so I make far fewer decisions not better ones. I remove decisions instead of improving them. I strip away optionality instead of refining it. I structure my life so that most choices are made once, then embedded into systems.

This connects directly to earlier blogs about cognitive load reduction, friction elimination, micro-resistance, constraints, identity-first execution, controlled environments, predictable routines, and making the future self irrelevant.

Decision-Making Is the Most Expensive Cognitive Task You Perform

Decisions drain mental energy faster than almost anything else. Each decision requires:

• evaluation
• prediction
• emotional regulation
• risk calculation
• context switching
• cost-benefit mental loops

Even small decisions carry a hidden cognitive cost.

Removing decisions lowers that cost instantly.

Decisions Create Micro-Resistance

Every time you make a decision, you experience micro-resistance, the moment of internal negotiation:

• “Should I do this now?”
• “Should I wait?”
• “What’s the best option?”

This internal debate creates friction and slows you down.

When decisions disappear, resistance disappears.

Decisions Disrupt Momentum

Momentum thrives on continuity. Decisions interrupt continuity. They break flow. They stall progress. They add hesitation. The more decisions in your day, the more interruptions you create in your own momentum.

This directly mirrors your writing on momentum as a system, not a feeling.

Decisions Increase Emotional Variability

When decisions pile up, your emotional state destabilizes. You experience:

• stress
• overwhelm
• frustration
• uncertainty
• impatience
• self-doubt

Reducing decisions creates emotional stability.

This ties to your previous writing on minimizing emotional variability.

Decisions Inflate Cognitive Load

Every undecided choice becomes an open loop in your mind. Open loops increase:

• mental clutter
• intrusive thoughts
• decision fatigue
• overwhelm
• analysis paralysis

Removing decisions clears mental space and restores clarity.

Decisions Slow Down Identity Formation

Identity is built on repetition. Repetition requires clarity. When decisions interrupt your behavior, repetition breaks, and identity weakens.

Identity thrives when decisions are removed.

High Performers Don’t Make More Decisions They Make Fewer

People imagine high performers as decisive powerhouses. But the truth is high performers make fewer decisions because their systems make decisions for them. They automate, template, structure, and reduce.

High performance is built on reduction, not addition.

I Don’t Trust My Future Self To Decide Anything

My future self is emotional, inconsistent, unpredictable, and influenced by circumstances. I don’t give them decision power. All important decisions are made once, then baked into the operating system.

This directly connects to your earlier blog on removing your future self from the process entirely.

Systems Remove Decisions

Systems transform decisions into:

• templates
• routines
• defaults
• constraints
• triggers
• workflows
• automation
• checklists
• sequences
• predetermined steps

These eliminate decision-making at the root.

Environments Remove Decisions

Controlled environments limit options automatically:

• dedicated workspaces
• predefined tool placement
• device separation
• minimal physical clutter
• environmental triggers
• stable digital structure

The environment eliminates choices before they arise.

Routines Remove Decisions

Routines create predictable sequences so you don’t have to think about:

• what to do first
• when to start
• how long to work
• what comes next
• when to stop

Routines eliminate the mental load of decision-making entirely.

Constraints Remove Decisions

Constraints reduce optionality and force clarity:

• fixed wake-up times
• set work blocks
• limited task lists
• single-focus periods
• defined boundaries
• pre-scripted transitions
• consistent rules

Constraints remove ambiguity, and remove decisions with it.

Redundancy Removes Decisions

Multiple pathways to the same outcome ensure you never have to decide under pressure. Redundancy creates “always-on” execution, no matter what.

This ties into your blog on building shockproof systems.

Templates Remove Decisions

Whenever you use a template, you’re using a pre-made decision engine. Templates solve:

• structure
• sequencing
• formatting
• transitions
• pacing

Templates eliminate countless micro-decisions.

Decision-Free Execution Is Faster, Lighter, and More Consistent

When you eliminate decisions:

• speed increases
• clarity increases
• emotional turbulence decreases
• cognitive load drops
• friction disappears
• momentum becomes self-sustaining
• identity strengthens

Execution becomes automatic.

How I Remove Decisions From My Life

I eliminate decisions structurally through:

• predictable routines I don’t modify
• templates for recurring tasks
• automated systems
• identity-based standards
• limited optionality
• frictionless workflows
• redundant pathways
• simplified inputs
• controlled environments
• clear next-step sequences
• pre-defined transitions
• strict constraints around time and energy
• removal of emotional negotiation

The fewer decisions I make, the more unstoppable I become.

The Final Reason I Remove Decision-Making

Because decisions create hesitation, and hesitation kills momentum. Decisions create emotional weight, and emotional weight slows execution. Decisions create cognitive burden, and cognitive burden disrupts clarity. The less you decide, the faster you move.

Everything I’ve built, my speed, my clarity, my consistency, my output volume, my identity, my internal stability, comes from eliminating decisions so execution becomes structural, not emotional.