A Japanese man has followed the same routine, including eating the same food for 15 years to minimise decision-making. He has said that this lifestyle helps keep his mind clear.
According to a South Morning China Post (SCMP), 38-year-old, Go Kita works in the information industry. When he first entered the workplace, he found that he had to make a large number of decisions and that was distressing to him.
Citing studies, SCMP reported that an average person may confront up to 35,000 decisions a day and in the current information-saturated world relentless decision-making can lead to “decision fatigue” — a state of mental exhaustion caused by the overwhelming number of choices. As per studies, this fatigue can impair judgement can cause people to procrastinate or make irrational decisions.
Inspired by former Japanese baseball star Ichiro Suzuki, Kita decided to mitigate his choices in his personal life. As per SCMP, Suzuki followed a strict routine for seven years. He would begin his day with curry rice for breakfast, performing exercise warm-ups at a specific time and a set time for postgame baths. Suzuki reportedly was able to keep a laser focus in his training and games by simplifying his daily decisions, ultimately he achieved, a remarkable 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons—the longest streak in baseball history.
Kita has been eating the same food every day for 15 years, nuts and ramen for breakfast, chicken breast for lunch, and stir-fried pork with bean sprouts for dinner. To ensure he has a well-balanced diet, he also takes doses of nutritional supplements.
He wears the same style of clothes and owns identical underwear and socks. He has precisely scheduled his time for doing laundry, shaving and even trimming his nails.
According to SCMP, he said that by reducing these personal choices, he feels a light mental load, which enables him to think clearly and be more effective when it comes to making decisions at work. It is, however, unclear if he has felt any drawbacks because of this lifestyle.