Decision Fatigue is Draining Your Ministry—Here’s How to Fix It
Optimized Pastors Make Fewer Decisions.
Pastor, let’s be real.
By the time you’ve picked your sermon topic, answered five “Got a minute?” requests, and decided whether to fix the church printer or just throw it out the window, your brain is toast.
And it’s not just you.
Decision fatigue is real.
And it’s wrecking your ministry more than you realize.
Every choice you make—big or small—burns mental fuel.
By the end of the day, you’re running on fumes, defaulting to whatever requires the least effort.
That’s why, come Friday night, instead of making progress on Sunday’s message, you’re stuck in the abyss of Netflix, watching a documentary on competitive tickling (yes, that’s a thing).
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to live like this.
The Science of Why Your Brain is Tired
Decision fatigue isn’t just “pastor problems.” It’s been studied.
- Every choice drains your willpower. Psychologists call it “ego depletion.” Make enough choices, and by day’s end, you’re as useful as a ham sandwich at a Jewish picnic.
- Judges give harsher sentences later in the day. Why? Their brains are shot. When in doubt, they default to “tough on crime” instead of thinking critically.
- Ministry leaders aren’t immune. By the time you’ve settled on the color of the new youth room carpet, you might just say “yes” to that questionable guest speaker request.
Your brain has limited daily bandwidth...
Wasting it on trivial decisions is a fast track to exhaustion.
How Decision Fatigue Wrecks Your Ministry
Let’s play this out:
- You hesitate on big decisions. (Should we launch this new outreach program? Eh… I’ll deal with it later.)
- You make bad calls. (Hiring the wrong guy because you were too tired to think through the interview.)
- You avoid making any decisions at all. (And now you’re drowning in 84 unanswered emails.)
- You lose your passion. (Ministry feels like a chore instead of a calling.)
So, what’s the move?
Reduce the number of choices you have to make.
The Fix: Make Fewer Decisions
Here’s how to reclaim your mental energy:
1. Simplify Repetitive Choices
Steve Jobs had a closet full of black turtlenecks.
Mark Zuckerberg wears the same gray T-shirt every day.
They’re not lazy—they’re strategic.
Pastors, do yourself a favor:
- Create a go-to Sunday outfit. Blazer, button-down, dark jeans. Done. No more standing in front of the closet wondering if brown shoes work with black pants.
- Eat the same breakfast every day. Bacon, eggs, whatever keto breakfast is allowed here in The Optimized Pastor Newsletter (wink, wink)—just stop wasting time deciding.
- Schedule recurring meetings. Every Monday at 9 AM? Launch sermon prep. Every Thursday at 2 PM? Staff meeting. Routine = no decision needed.
Make fewer choices. Save more energy.
2. Pre-Decide Your Week
No more waking up and wondering, What should I work on today? Answer that question once and put it on repeat.
Example:
- Monday: Sermon research
- Tuesday: Staff and admin
- Wednesday: Discipleship & counseling, or writing & recording
- Thursday: Outreach & strategy
- Friday: Personal growth & family
- Saturday: Rest (yes, actually rest) except that final sermon review
- Sunday: Preach, manage Sunday stuff, then recharge
You don’t need a new schedule every week.
Stick to a rhythm, and you’ll thank yourself later.
3. Automate the Small Stuff
- Pre-make your sermon templates. No need to reinvent the wheel every week.
- Use email templates. How many times do you write the same response? Copy. Paste. Done.
- Order groceries online. If you’re still walking into a grocery store making choices under fluorescent lights, you’re doing life on hard mode. Even better...
- Set up Amazon Subscribe for essentials. Coffee, printer ink, communion supplies; supplements, home supplies, favorite trail mix—whatever you always need, let it show up at your door automatically. One less thing to think about.
4. Delegate Like a Pro
Jethro told Moses to stop doing everything himself (Exodus 18), and yet here we are, still ignoring solid advice.
Ask yourself:
- Do I need to be making this decision?
- Can someone else handle this?
- Will the world end if I don’t personally approve the new coffee brand for the foyer?
Empower others.
Your team will grow.
You’ll stop feeling like a one-man help desk.
5. Set Hard Boundaries
Decision fatigue happens when you say “yes” to everything. Here’s a better approach:
- If it’s not essential, say no. Your time is your most valuable resource.
- Limit social media. You don’t need to engage in every theological debate online.
- Stop checking email all day. Twice a day is plenty.
The Counterintuitive Truth: Fewer Choices = More Freedom
Most people think freedom comes from unlimited options.
Wrong.
True freedom comes from reducing the number of decisions you have to make so you can focus on what actually matters.
The best pastors don’t make every decision—they make the right ones.
So, do yourself (and your congregation) a favor:
Cut the mental clutter, simplify your life, and start leading with clarity.
Next Step: Take Action
- Audit your daily decisions. Where are you burning energy unnecessarily?
- Pick three things to simplify this week. (Outfits, meals, schedule—start small.)
- Delegate one responsibility. Even if it makes you uncomfortable.
Your brain will thank you. So will your church.
More Resources To Help You Optimize
🥤Momentum Shake: The Complete Longevity Shake for Optimal Health
🎥 Sermon Shots: Repurpose Sermons Into Clips & Other Engaging Content in Minutes
💊 My (Scott's) full supplement regimen
