From choosing what to wear to deciding what to eat for breakfast, humans are constantly making decisions throughout the day. In fact, experts reckon that we make a mind-blowing 35,000+ decisions each day. Which works out to one decision every 2 seconds!
With these figures in mind, it’s no wonder we often feel drained and experience decision fatigue. This is a type of cognitive overload, meaning you feel overwhelmed with the vast number of choices you have to make. When this happens, it can lead to anxiety, stress, difficulty concentrating and mental strain.
Psychology of decision making
When you think about making a decision, it may seem straightforward. All you have to do is consider the pros and cons and choose the best option for you. However, the process is usually more complex. Choices are shaped by multiple factors that are deeply ingrained in our psyche.
Emotions
Your emotions on a given day can have a huge influence on decisions. Anger, happiness, sadness and fear all have an effect on decision making. Making a choice when you’re emotional can lead to an outcome that may not be the best for your long-term goals.
Cognitive biases
Cognitive biases, regarding decision-making, are biased patterns of thinking that can lead to irrational decisions. An example is the Dunning-Kruger effect. This relates to people who display a high level of confidence in something that they are not actually skilled at doing. This over-optimism can lead to poor decision-making and a less-than-favourable outcome.
Decision fatigue
The more decisions you make in a day, the more weary your decision-making capabilities become. Decision fatigue, if left unchecked, can lead to poor end results and heightened stress.
Social influence
By nature, humans thrive on social connection. Every person is influenced by the people they spend the most time with. Furthermore, peer pressure and desire for acceptance can sway the decisions you make. This can often lead to making choices that don’t align with your goals or beliefs.
The impact of decision fatigue at work
Alongside affecting our mental health, decision fatigue can have an impact on our work environment. Managers and leaders face a constant barrage of decisions daily. As mental strain takes over, this can lead to poor choices that have a ripple effect on whole companies. Then, as more decisions have to be made later on, the ability to make the right ones is diminished.
Another example of a high-stress career where multiple quick decisions need to be made is the world of professional poker. Players are constantly having to decide whether to bet, fold, check or raise. Relating to poker hand rankings, they have to determine what possible hands their opponents have. They also have to decide if someone is bluffing or if they should bluff themselves.
When multiple high-stakes tournaments are played, this can lead to decision fatigue and loss of focus. And if left unchecked, it can cause suboptimal decision-making, mistakes and ultimately, increased losses.
Common signs of decision fatigue
When suffering from decision fatigue, you may resort to using mental shortcuts. These include:
Doing nothing. The more tired your brain becomes, the more likely you are to avoid decisions altogether and do nothing.
Making impulsive choices. As mental fatigue sets in, you may start to put less thought into decisions. Examples include choosing a takeaway over a healthy cooked meal or taking unnecessary risks in a poker game.
When the brain is tired, it is often hard to make decisions, leading to long hours of procrastination.
Reacting emotionally. When mental energy is low, you may suffer from heightened emotional sensitivity.
How to overcome decision fatigue and make better choices
If you think you are experiencing decision fatigue, the good news is that there are strategies you can use to alleviate its effects. Here are a few strategies to try out:
Limit options
Having too many options can lead to overwhelm. When possible, limit the number of choices you have. When faced with multiple options, narrow them down to the top three before you make a decision. An example would be when buying soap at a local supermarket.
Decide what feature is most important to you eg; price, brand, effectiveness or scent. List the top three that have your most important feature and make your decision. By using this approach, you have ignored the hundreds of other options and made the selection process less overwhelming.
Establish routines
Routines minimise the need for frequent decision-making. By knowing what you have to do daily without thinking about it, this reduces mental strain. Where possible, have an established weekly meal plan with recipes you use on rotation. Choose a standard wardrobe of one or two outfits that you wear for work so you can get ready quickly. And exercise on the same days and at the same times each week. This not only ensures you get your workouts done but will also reduce decision fatigue.
Tackle important decisions early
Your brain is recharged and working at optimal capacity in the morning. As the day progresses, your cognitive resources decline, making it harder to think straight. Where possible, make critical decisions in the morning when your mind is freshest.
Use frameworks for efficiency
Successful startup leaders and business owners make tough decisions every day. To help reduce mental strain and achieve continuous efficiency, they use decision-making frameworks.
A few of these common frameworks include:
SWOT analysis. Evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Cost-benefit analysis. Assessing the financial implications of any decision.
Pros and cons lists. Looking at the positive and negative impacts.
By using a standardised approach to decision-making, you minimise the mental drain. This reduces the chance of experiencing decision fatigue, allowing high performers to keep making tough decisions.
Take frequent breaks
To keep your decision-making sharp, it’s important to prioritise self-care. Take regular breaks throughout the day, get adequate rest and practice mindfulness. Moving away from decision-making tasks allows your brain to rest and recharge so you can make better decisions moving forward.
Having choices is valuable, but too many can overwhelm the mind. When decision fatigue sets in, it helps to streamline options to ease the mental load. By cutting down unnecessary choices, you give yourself space for clarity, balance, and a healthier state of mind. Whenever possible, slow down and switch off to let your brain recharge.
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