Do you ever procrastinate? Do you sometimes find yourself doing low-priority tasks because you’re too tired/stressed/fill-in-the-blank to tackle the hard stuff?

Even when I have dozens of things to do during the workday, sometimes I can feel my motivation start to drain away as the day goes on.

It’s an easy trap to fall into. And obviously you can’t just ignore your responsibilities, either at work or at home, especially if you’re running your own business.

Decision fatigue is a real thing — so it’s no surprise that after months on end of managing a company, working long days and fielding frequent questions from both customers and employees, you might find yourself making poor choices out of exhaustion.

You might think willpower is all it takes to get back to being productive, but willpower is actually finite. And it’s not something you either have or don’t have. All those decisions you make throughout the day eventually deplete your ability to keep making positive, productive and healthy ones. All this leads to frustration, burnout and hitting up the fast-food drive-thru more than you should.

I first heard about decision fatigue in an email newsletter by writer James Clear. He writes a lot about productivity, willpower and decision-making, and developing better habits.

I don’t remember where I first discovered him, but I instantly subscribed and have been reading Clear’s articles for almost two years now. I find his tips incredibly helpful. One topic that comes up again and again, in regard to willpower and other things like motivation, decision-making and focus, is how important it is to establish routines.

Morning routines have become super trendy. A quick Google search will bring up millions of articles about how everyone from Tom Brady to Oprah starts their day. I find it both ridiculous and fascinating.

I’m not saying you should get up at 4 a.m. to do yoga every morning before you have your coffee. But, according to Clear (and apparently most of the internet), routines are super important. A routine signals to your brain that it’s time to get to work — it sets the activity in motion. And it takes decision-making out of the equation, which keeps up your store of willpower for the day and combats decision fatigue.

It also helps to tackle the most important or most difficult tasks early in the day, when you still feel motivated. So if you hate going through your inbox, or need to make some tough bill-collecting phone calls to customers, set aside time first thing in the morning for those housekeeping items that might not get done otherwise. It gets the worst part of your day out of the way, when you’re still fresh and decision fatigue hasn’t set in.

It’s not easy; I’m still working on establishing a good routine. If you’re looking to do the same, do a little research, take some cues from people you admire and build a routine that suits you and your business.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue.