As a founder, my job is to make decisions. But a few years ago, I realized that the sheer volume of decisions I was making every day was destroying my ability to make the ones that truly mattered.

It started with the small stuff: What should I wear? What should I eat for breakfast? Should I answer this email now or later?

By the time I got to a critical, high-stakes decision in the afternoon, my brain felt like it had already run a marathon. I was experiencing classic decision fatigue, and the brain fog of perimenopause was making it a hundred times worse. My mental energy was a finite resource, and I was wasting it on trivial choices.

I realized I needed to put my low-stakes decisions on autopilot. I needed to create systems that would make these choices for me, so I could save my best mental energy for the decisions that could actually move the needle in my business.

It’s not about being rigid; it’s about being strategic. Here are a few of the simple systems I set up that have made the biggest difference.

1. I "Uniform" My Workday Wardrobe.
I used to spend precious morning energy trying to put together an outfit. No more. I now have a simple "work uniform"—a rotation of similar items that I know work well together (e.g., high-quality black pants, a few different silk tops, a couple of blazers). I don't have to think about it. I just grab the next combination in the rotation. The decision is already made.

2. I Eat the Same Breakfast and Lunch Every Day.
This might sound boring, but it's incredibly effective. As we discussed a few weeks ago, my lunch is a high-protein bowl. My breakfast is always the same protein-rich scramble. By eating the same foundational meals Monday through Friday, I eliminate two major decision points from my day and guarantee my blood sugar stays stable. I save variety for dinners and weekends.

3. I Have a "Rule" for Email.
I used to ask myself "Should I answer this now?" for every single email that came in. It was a constant stream of micro-decisions. Now, I have a rule: I only process email twice a day, once in the late morning and once at the end of the workday. The decision to "answer now" is off the table outside of those blocks.

4. I Pre-Decide My Workouts.
On Sunday, I look at my week and I schedule my workouts as if they are unbreakable appointments. I decide exactly what I'm going to do for each session (e.g., Tuesday is my upper-body strength day, Wednesday is a long walk for active recovery). When Tuesday morning comes, I don't have to decide if I'm going to work out, or what workout I'm going to do. The decision is already made. I just execute.

Each of these systems removes dozens of small, draining decisions from my daily life.

By putting the trivial choices on autopilot, I've created a surplus of mental energy. When I face a truly difficult strategic problem at 3 p.m., my brain is fresh. It's ready. I have the cognitive horsepower to think clearly and make a good call.

It's one of the most powerful ways I've learned to manage the mental load of leadership and the extra challenge of perimenopausal brain fog.

All the best,

Sonja Rincón

Founder & CEO, Menotracker