← Building blocks
Clogged engine
Why effort feels harder as the day goes on.
Hard thinking is like a car engine working hard: dirt builds up in the filter. The more it clogs, the harder every effort feels, so you pick the easy option. A full emotional bucket is like driving uphill with a heavy load: the filter clogs faster. Rest and sleep clean it. (A 2022 brain study by Wiehler and colleagues; more studies are needed.)
Example
After a long workday you planned to cook, but you order takeaway instead.