I recently had to buy some cleaning supplies for my road bike. During this simple task, for a bike I don't ride too often, I went through an overwhelming spiral. I checked at least 20 websites comparing and contrasting all their different products. I went through Amazon reviews and cross-referenced them with various review websites. This feeling of getting the "right" bike supplies was ever present, even though I had no idea what actually mattered. There were so many different variables to consider, many that I stumbled upon in my research, that my brain eventually got so overwhelmed, I ended up scrolling on my phone instead of buying anything. 

That exhausting spiral and eventual implosion is a perfect example of a specific cognitive wiring that has many different names, but one description that I found useful is the Maximizing vs Satisficer axis. On one side are the Maximizers who spend a lot of time evaluating options to make a "right" decision, even if the actual requirements aren't specific. You can have a coffee from a coffee shop that you enjoy, but you feel a need to try all the other coffee shops to compare. On the other side are Satisficers, who tend to commit to the first thing that meets their requirements. This doesn't mean they're not picky or have high standards, but once those standards are met, they don't feel a need to look anywhere else that could meet those standards. I fall much more on the Maximizer side. I feel the pull of considering all the variables, checking every website and doing immense amounts of research for even simple tasks. This mindset makes it extremely hard to take care of everyday chores and purchases as I spend so much time thinking and agonizing over them that I don't actually do them. 

To combat that paralysis, I found minimalism and the concept of negative space. For me, negative space is a defense against decision fatigue. Take my phone, for example: I recently removed all the apps from my home screen and turned off all but the most time-sensitive notifications. Rather than my phone pushing information that I then feel a need to process and handle in that exact moment, I instead pull information from my phone when I need it. All the apps and information are still on my phone, but they aren't all vying for my Maximizer attention at the same time. This same concept applies to my physical spaces. When my room is full of items, my brain treats every object as a variable it needs to process. By cleaning off my surfaces and keeping my extra items organized in storage, it gives my brain a break from processing all the items around me and leaves me space to focus on the activity right in front of me, even if that activity is just buying some cleaning supplies for my bike.