The Art of Thinking Clearly

Retirement brings freedom—the chance to set your own schedule, travel, or dive into long-awaited passions. But it also brings choices, and sometimes, those choices can feel overwhelming. Should you downsize your home? Invest in a new hobby? Plan for future healthcare needs? With so many options, decision fatigue can creep in, making it harder to think clearly.

But here’s the good news: clear thinking isn’t about having a perfect memory or making split-second choices. It’s about understanding how we think, recognizing common mental traps, and making decisions with confidence.

Why We Don’t Always Think Clearly

Have you ever made a choice, only to wonder later, What was I thinking? We all fall into thinking patterns that lead us astray. For example:

• The “gut feeling” trap – While intuition can be helpful, it’s not always the best guide, especially when making complex decisions like financial planning or healthcare choices.
• The “too much information” problem – The more options we have, the harder it is to choose. This is why simplifying decisions—focusing on what truly matters—leads to better outcomes.
• The “what if I’m wrong?” fear – Doubt can paralyze us, but in reality, very few decisions are permanent. Most choices can be adjusted over time.

How to Start Thinking More Clearly

One of the best ways to sharpen your decision-making skills is to step back and ask, What’s really important here? Instead of getting lost in details, try these simple shifts in thinking:

1. Look at the big picture – Imagine you’re advising a close friend. What would you tell them? This small mental shift helps you see things more objectively.
2. Take a break – Our brains process information even when we’re not actively thinking about it. Stepping away for a walk or a good night’s sleep can bring surprising clarity.
3. Trust your ability to decide – You’ve been making decisions all your life. Just because retirement brings new choices doesn’t mean you’ve lost the skill—it just means you’re learning to apply it in new ways.

The Power of Taking a Break

It might seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to make a clear-headed decision is to stop thinking about it for a while. When we take a break—whether that means stepping away from the problem for an hour, a day, or even just a few deep breaths—our brains continue working in the background.

Think about a time when you struggled to remember someone’s name. The more you forced yourself to think, the further away the answer seemed. But then, a few hours later, it popped into your head out of nowhere. That’s your brain at work, solving problems when you’re not actively focused on them.

The same process happens with decision-making. When we stop overanalyzing, we give our minds the space to connect ideas, filter out distractions, and prioritize what really matters.

A good way to use this to your advantage is to sleep on it. If a decision feels overwhelming, give yourself permission to step away. Go for a walk. Read a book. Spend time with a friend. When you return to the decision, you’ll likely find that what once seemed murky now feels much clearer.

A Simple Exercise to Try

Think of a small decision you’ve been putting off—maybe choosing a new activity, deciding whether to travel, or sorting through paperwork. Instead of overthinking, ask yourself:

• What’s the simplest way forward?

• Will this matter a year from now?

• If I make a mistake, can I adjust later?

Then, walk away from it for a bit. Do something else. When you return, notice if the decision feels easier to make.

The Next Step

In the next post, we’ll explore how memory challenges can affect decision-making—and more importantly, how to work around them. The goal isn’t to fight against how your brain works but to support it with practical strategies. Decision-making is a skill, and like any skill, it improves with practice.