Ideal Vacation? A Week With Zero Decisions.

Raise your 🖐️if this sounds like paradise🌴.

As I was sitting down to work on this week’s newsletter, I got a little distracted. That’s nothing new, except it’s the intro to a story I’m about to tell.

Let’s set the scene.

It was Monday morning, and I was up at my regular cuckoo hour of 4:30 a.m., with the overarching thought bubble of writing this newsletter floating above my head. (I swear it was following me around the kitchen.)

With that in mind, I set out to start my morning routine:

~ start the coffee maker (I set it up the night before. It’s something my mom always did which as a kid seemed over the top, but now when I click that one button every morning, I see she was a genius.)

~ whip up my personalized green drink of AG1 & lime Electro Mag (The lime adds just the right kick, and the magnesium/electrolyte blend is great for my workout.)

~ get necessary breakfast food items & powders out (You’ll never catch me intermittent fasting, I live for breakfast.)

This all appears pretty straightforward, right? Automatic, even.

Yet with these constants comes a chorus of questions:

Smoothie bowl, waffles, or yogurt & berries?

Breakfast upstairs in my office or the kitchen?

What YouTube Video today ~ this, this, or this?

What’s next ~ a workout class or run?

I know those aren’t tough decisions.

But it hit me that I spend way too much time contemplating way too many little things.

Then, after I’ve tackling those life-changing questions, I make my to-do list. This means more things to think about, more shiny internet objects to distract me, and more decisions to be made.

That list might contain all or any of the following:

Decide which editors to pitch.

Look for new people to connect with on LinkedIn or TravMedia.

Read job board emails for gigs.

Look for new travel opps/press trips.

Return emails.

Work on client projects.

Write posts for LI, TravMedia, FB, IG.

Pay bills. Admin stuff.

Write articles.

Create reels and other IG content.

Figure out new camera/work on graphics course/create Canva graphics.

And here’s the thing. Each item on that list comes with questions and decisions. How much time do I devote to certain projects or quests? How do I know if something is worth pursuing? How do I find people to connect with?

I’d bet my favorite list making pen (a purple one I got at a luncheon) that you’ve got your own list of questions you ask on the daily.

And as I sat down to contemplate the crazy, I wondered just how many decisions I actually make each day.

So of course I asked the aliens.

Do you like the added touch of six million windows open on my computer screen?

We make between 33,000 and 35,000 decisions every day, friends.

No wonder I feel like I can never shut my brain down and “just be.”

As it turns out, these 35,000 decisions are What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week. I’ve decided that’s way too many. It’s time to make a plan to spend less time making decisions and more time living life.

Mark Zuckerburg does it by sticking to a uniform of a simple t-shirt, and we all remember Steve Jobs’ black turtleneck and jeans. I’m nailing it with my summer work-from-home outfit of a Target tank top and shorts.

Here’s what else I’m doing to reduce decision fatigue:

1. Create and stick to routines ~ stick to my psycho 4:30 wake up routine. Maybe get a few other solid routines established throughout my day to estabilish consistent productivity.

2. Make a decision and stick with it… I don’t need to go five rounds over waffles versus a yogurt parfait. I’m aiming to be more decisive on the small things as well as and daily plans and work flows.

3. Eliminate distractions. As in not allowing myself to go rogue with the mouse. I mean, I go online to look for travel gigs and 47 clicks later I’m asking myself, “Do I want these sandals in black or brown?” How does “pitch editors” turn into a quest for summer footwear?

4. Get clear on my goals. When I was a teacher, we were supposed to post our learning goals on the board for students, so they knew what we’d be covering and could race to write those goals down and patiently anticipate all the learning they were in for. While I’m lying about that, and was personally just as annoyed with the goals as the students, I do see the merit in getting clear with daily goals. I might even give it a try ~ calling them Earning Goals vs. Learning Goals.

5. Remind myself that there are only so many things one can do in a day. By setting realistic expectations, I’ll be more likely to stay on track and actually get $#!t done.

6. Force myself to power down from the heavy decision making. For me this means stepping away from my computer and truly unplugging from it all. Taking time to simply be.

The crazy thing is, I think that by doing all of the above (or heck, just one of them), I’ll feel a whole lot better… like I’m on a tropical vacation minus the price tag, travel delays, and sunburn. Bonus, I can travel to that place every single day.

What about you?

How can you transport yourself from the land of 35,000 questions to your own tropical paradise?

Maybe today’s links will help you get to that tropical paradise a little sooner. At the very least, there’s some really cool stuff below covering travel, business, summer deals, podcast recs, wellness tips, and delicious meal suggestions.

Plus a few surprises.

• In keeping with our theme, A Simple Way to Make Better Decisions.

• Listening to your inner voice is important. Critical, in fact. Trying to do it more.

• Your intuition isn’t just for the big stuff ~ you can use it every day. (Multiple times.)

Some tidbits to increase productivity (in work or life)

I’ve been wanting to create more content (specifically videos) for a long time. With some exciting trips on the horizon, I knew it was time to get serious, so I purchased a DJI Osmo Pocket 3. (Described by Perplexity as “a compact, smartphone-compatible gimbal that stabilizes your phone for smooth, professional-quality videos and photos, making it ideal for creators who want to easily capture steady, cinematic footage while on the move.”)

It’s easy to use but I’ve got a long way to go to master it, so am currently watching tutorials like this one to figure it out. Stay tuned for reviews on the camera, content on my socials, and soon more content on the What I’d Rather Be Talking About YouTube channel. (In the meantime, send your vlogging tips and content requests.)

Instead of knocking ChatGPT, why not use it to grow your social media presence? Change your business? Or declutter your home? Or maybe, you just want to know the most used AI tools for business.

• Whenever I see a “hottest city” article, my first impulse is to run the other way. Because, why go with the crowd? I prefer underrated cities, like this one.

• I also think it’d be cool to plan a trip based on which airports have the best food.

• Speaking of unique ways to travel, how about a language immersion? I recently posted about a volunteer opportunity in Spain for English speakers. But if you want to immerse yourself in a language, live like a local, and have luxurious cultural experiences, look up Language & Luxury Immersion. (And stay tuned for more on this amazing program!)

• The Ultimate Packing List for 2025 is one to read and save for future travels.

  Where are you headed this summer or fall?

Have you heard of the the 90s parenting trend? This reminds me of my 80s summers spent sleeping in, biking (no helmet) to swimming lessons, biking home for a bologna sandwich and Capri Sun lunch, biking back to the pool for hours of fun with SPF 4 protecting me, riding home while miraculously not choking on my pre dinner snack of Jolly Ranchers or Laffy Taffy, eating dinner, then spending a solid two-three hours tearing up the neighbors’ yards playing kick the can or ghost in the graveyard.

• Cleaning out my closet again, this time using the 90/90 rule.

• Organize your house by ditching these 13 things that might be creating clutter.

• Feeling a sense of place is important when it comes to happiness. One of the elements I love in a place is that it’s walkable. What are your non-negotiables?

• I didn’t wake up today intending to buy