Decisions, Decisions

It starts before you even open your eyes. “Do I get out of bed right now or sleep five more minutes? Wear a jacket or sweater, sneakers or shoes to school today? Eat oatmeal, toast, or a muffin for breakfast? Grab an apple or banana for lunch? Sit in front or back of the school bus? Raise my hand in class or hide behind the kid in front of me? Start on easy or hard test questions? Pick a fantasy or a mystery book for my book report? Write about snakes or cockroaches for science? Do harder or easier homework first? Do all my homework right after school or right after dinner?”

Experts call having too many choices "decision fatigue." Mizz C. calls it brain freeze.

Here’s how one stressed-out student describes "decision fatigue:"

After making many decisions they become hard for me too. They also . . . make me very tired and lazy to the point where I don’t want to do anything. If they start to make me tired I procrastinate or try to forget that I have a decision to make.

Mizz C. has loads of decision making tips that she'll be blabbing about in the future. Here are a few starters:

• Only make big decisions you're rested and fed. 

• Save your brain power for deciding the big stuff. Figuring out what activities to choose is way more important than deciding what to have for breakfast.  

• Put small decisions on autopilot. Go with the same food choices, if possible, for some meals or snack times. It's Oatmeal-for Breakfast-Week! Every Monday is Green Pants Day. Too many choices? Toss a coin! Heads up, it's a mystery for the next book report or snakes for the science project. Do harder homework first one week then easier homework first the next week. Decide which homework style works better for you. Stick with it for good. 

Now if only someone could help Mizz C. decide which shampoo to buy when the store runs out of her usual brand. Shampoo for curly, frizzy, dry, oily hair? Flower or lemon-scented? Economy or trial size? 

Never mind. Mizz C. needs a nap.

New Years' Resolutions Can Be Habit Forming

A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have so many of them. ~Frank A. Clark

It's late January. Did you make a 2012 New Years’ resolution to start a new habit, Middle Schoolers? Good move. According to The New York Times, almost half the people who make a resolution keep it. What are their secrets? 

• Make one small resolution at a time. How about one of these? 
• Keep a short, specific To-Do List to get yourself organized. 
• Go to bed a little bit earlier every night. 
• Use a timer to do homework for short periods with no interruptions.

• Move temptations out of sight. Too distracted by TV, video games, or other gadgets? Do your homework in a gadget-free room. 

•  Tell the world what your new habit is. Ask friends and family members to help you stay on track.

• Give yourself gold stars! Use a calendar to keep track of how well you’re doing. 

• If you slip-up, restart your engines. Tomorrow's another new year.

Mizz C. started one good habit in 2012: blabbing and blogging. She can't stop!