A day in the life : Day 454

This week, I ran into a familiar but annoying problem in the evenings — deciding what to eat. It wasn’t about cooking skill or availability. It was the daily back-and-forth of “what should I make today?” that drained energy after work. Around the same time, I noticed a trend getting popular again: weekly meal rotation. Not strict meal prep, just a loose plan where certain days repeat certain types of meals.

I decided to try it without turning it into a project. I picked a few simple categories — one day for something quick, one for leftovers, one for something cooked fresh. No recipes written down, no rigid rules. The first couple of days felt easier than expected. The decision was already made, so I just moved on to the next step.

Midweek, I hit a small snag. I wasn’t in the mood for what the day “assigned,” and forcing it felt pointless. Instead of sticking to the plan stubbornly, I swapped days. That flexibility kept it from feeling like another system to maintain. The plan was there to help, not control.

The weather’s been warmer in the evenings, and heavy food hasn’t been sitting well lately. I naturally shifted toward lighter meals and earlier dinners. That actually fit the rotation better than expected. When meals were simpler, evenings felt calmer instead of rushed.

By the end of the week, I noticed something small but important: I wasn’t thinking about food as much. Eating became a routine again, not a decision marathon. That freed up mental space for other things.

This trend isn’t about discipline or optimization. It’s about reducing friction. When you remove one repeated decision from the day, you feel it.

I won’t follow the same rotation forever. Seasons change, moods change. But I’ll keep the idea — not everything needs to be decided fresh every single day. Sometimes repeating what already works is the most practical choice.