Manage stress and decision fatigue

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that want to stay sharp during growth.

The quick answer

Reduce choices and add routines. Use a fixed meeting cadence, a short scorecard, and a weekly plan. Batch similar decisions. Keep a short personal health routine and a hard stop a few nights a week. Share load with a partner or chief of staff during peak periods.

The method in eight steps

Fix the cadence
Keep the same weekly leadership meeting, one on ones, and scorecard review so your brain uses fewer choices on scheduling.
Limit what you track
Use a short scorecard that predicts next quarter results. Remove metrics that do not change decisions.
Plan the week in one sitting
Write three priorities and book time for them. Say no to items that do not support these outcomes.
Batch decisions
Handle pricing exceptions together. Handle hiring approvals together. Group vendor approvals into one window.
Create energy anchors
Pick a short routine you can keep during busy periods. Ten minutes of movement, a short walk for sunlight, and a fixed meal plan on meeting days.
Set hard stops
Choose two or three evenings each week where you end at a set time. Put this on the family calendar.
Share load during peaks
Use a partner or a chief of staff to triage requests, prepare briefs, and run follow ups during heavy weeks.
Review and reset
At month end review what drained you and what helped. Adjust the plan and remove one recurring time sink.

Example

A founder moved to a fixed cadence, batched pricing calls, and used a chief of staff to prepare briefs and capture actions. Decision speed went up and stress markers dropped.

Pitfalls and fixes

Tracking everything. Focus on predictive metrics.
Allowing the calendar to fill itself. Book the week in one sitting.
No hard stops. Protect two or three evenings each week.

Checklist

Fixed cadence set
Short scorecard in use
Weekly plan with three priorities
Decision batching windows
Personal routine and hard stops
Support person for peak periods