Performance Optimisation Blog:

The Moment I Realised My Brain Was Slowing Me Down

I want to start today’s blog going back a few years ago, when I prided myself on my ability to handle pressure, make decisions fast, and execute without hesitation

Playing a high level physical sport you had no choice but to work on performance optimisation

 

🏒 I wanted the take the key penalty shot for my team

🏒 I had to be on the Ice in the last shift to help seal the win

🏒 I needed to make an impact every night

After all, that’s what high performers do, right?

But after I finished playing Ice Hockey I started noticing the cracks

🚨 Simple tasks felt overwhelming

🚨 I’d push critical decisions to the next day—then the next week

🚨 I’d be present in body only as my brain was running on fumes

It wasn’t a lack of knowledge or my skills holding me back

It was my brain’s processing speed slowing down because I was burning through my cognitive reserves without replenishing them

That’s when I learned the hard truth about not just sport but how my business and parenting was taking a hit:

📉 CEOs make 35,000 decisions per day—but mental fatigue slows execution speed by 25% or more. (Journal of Neuroscience)

📉 Delayed decisions cost businesses 10-20% in lost annual revenue. (Harvard Business Review)

📉 Leaders suffering from decision fatigue are 23% more likely to make poor high-stakes choices. (Stanford University)

Let that sink in

If you’re mentally drained, your business is operating at a fraction of its full potential

And the worst part?

Most people don’t even realise it’s happening

The Hidden Cost of Decision Fatigue

If you’re reading this thinking, “Yeah, but I get things done. This isn’t really affecting me,”

Can I challenge you to look deeper?

Decision fatigue doesn’t hit you like a truck

It creeps in slowly, quietly—until one day, you’re making million-dollar decisions on 50% brainpower

How does it show up?

⏳ You take longer to respond to high-stakes decisions
👉 Instead of moving fast, you second-guess yourself

😵 You feel exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep
👉 Your brain is working overtime to process information, draining your energy reserves

🤯 Your creativity and problem-solving tank
👉 You default to “safe” or repetitive choices, avoiding strategic risk-taking

⚡ You react instead of leading
👉 Stress takes over, and you find yourself putting out fires instead of driving proactive growth

This isn’t just “a rough day at the office.”

This is a systematic failure in cognitive performance

And if you don’t fix it?

Your competition will outthink, outmanoeuvre, and out-execute you

How I Rewired My Brain for Faster, Sharper Decisions

The good news?

You don’t have to accept slow execution, hesitation, or mental exhaustion as part of the game

I made three critical shifts that completely changed the way I operate

They didn’t just restore my clarity—they multiplied my execution speed, my ability to scale, and my confidence in high-stakes situations

1️⃣ I Optimised My Decision-Making Windows

Most CEOs make their worst decisions in the afternoon

📉 Cognitive fatigue builds throughout the day, reducing problem-solving ability by 35%. (American Psychological Association)

📉 Executives who time-block high-stakes decisions in their peak cognitive windows increase decision speed by 27%. (Harvard Business Review)

So I stopped treating my day like a never-ending to-do list and started structuring my thinking for maximum efficiency

✅ Morning (High Focus): Deep work, strategy, high-stakes decisions
✅ Midday (Moderate Focus): Network and Podcast calls, content creation, execution tasks
✅ Afternoon (Low Focus): Light work that is unforced and only if time around the family allowed it

The result?

I stopped wasting prime mental real estate on trivial decisions

My best thinking happens when I need it the most

2️⃣ I Eliminated “Micro-Decisions” That Drain Energy

Ever stand in front of your fridge, staring at food, unable to decide what to eat?

Or scroll through Netflix for 20 minutes because you can’t pick a movie?

That’s decision fatigue in action

📉 The average person makes 226 food-related decisions per day. (Cornell University)

📉 High-performers eliminate 80% of unnecessary decisions—freeing up cognitive energy for more important calls. (MIT Sloan Research)

So I made two key shifts:

✅ I pre-committed to high-performance habits

• Same breakfast

• Pre-planned training schedule

• Set morning and evening routines

✅ I outsourced low-value decisions

• Hired a VA to take over tasks that freed up my time

• Built systems for recurring business processes

• Set decision-making frameworks

Every small choice you automate = one less thing slowing down your brain

3️⃣ I Trained My Nervous System for Stress-Proof Decision-Making

This was the biggest unlock.

Your stress response determines the quality of your decisions

If your nervous system is stuck in “fight-or-flight”, you’re making reactive, emotion-driven choices instead of calm, strategic calls

📉 CEOs with poor stress regulation experience 40% more errors in high-pressure negotiations. (Stanford Business School)

📉 Executives who train their nervous system increase decision accuracy by 30%. (Harvard Medical School)

I started using simple strategies to shift from a reactive state to an optimal performance state before making major decisions

💡 Simple shifts that changed everything:

✅ 2-minute breathwork reset before important tasks → Instant clarity under pressure
✅ Slowing down and Prioritising → Increased focus & stress resilience
✅ Self Awareness → Real-time stress management insights

When you control your nervous system, you control your business

Are You Operating at Full Capacity?

Here’s the bottom line:

🔥 If your brain is running at 70%, so is your business

🔥 If your decision-making is slow, your revenue growth is slow

🔥 If your energy is unpredictable, your execution will be too

I had two choices—

❌ Keep grinding, hoping my brain wouldn’t burn out

✅ Rewire my thinking, optimise my energy, and operate like a true top 1% performer

I chose the second one

Now it’s your turn

📩 Want to fix decision fatigue, optimise execution, and get more done in less time?

Book in a FREE PERFORMANCE PLANNING CALL HERE and I’ll share Performance Optimisation Accelerator tips with you—free

🚀 Your business is waiting on you to operate at 100%

Let’s make it happen

Shaun – Performance Optimisation Specialist