We make choices based on what is easy. Not what is good for us.
It's pretty apparent in my house one of the easy choices I have is the junk food and treats that are at my disposal and my willpower is not great when those are around.
However, if I don't buy them and they aren't around my default is something a lot better usually.
The basic idea of making better choices is about eliminating bad ones or avoiding them all together which means you need an environment that encourages better choices.
For example, if you are trying to get healthy it's a bad idea to have cookies and goodies all over the house it's too tempting (One of my problems). It's much better to have fruit and other healthy snacks available.
If you want to get better at saving money, instead of having to take money out of your paycheck, have an auto draft that comes out every week that goes into an investment account so you don't even need to think about the decision.
You can see when you create an environment designed for you to make better choices those choices happen automatically.
We often make the mistake of thinking we need the willpower to make the right choices and that is actually a myth. We need the right environment because our minds default to lazy pretty often.
3 Ways to make decisions easier
Simplify. Eliminate the noise. In other words, get rid of things that will tempt you. The opposite of that is to add things that will encourage you.
Visual Cues. Create an environment that visually encourages you to take action in the right direction.
A visual cue I like is putting out my workout clothes the night before. When I wake up in the morning they are there and it tells me it's time to put them on and go work out.
Commit. Make sure that it's easy for you to commit to something. It's easier if you are committed to going to the gym when you feel like going even though it might be a week away. When the day to go to the gym comes around you have to justify opting out of something good.
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