When your brain gets tired of making choices, it starts skipping steps and making something bad. Decision fatigue is a psychological phenomenon that affects your ability to choose the best course of action after a long thought process.
You may not notice that you are creeping up. It’s your time to start saying “yes” to things you don’t want, defaulting junk food for dinner, or feeling paralyzed by simple questions like “what to wear?” If you feel your mental battery is drained by midday, a breakdown of certainty can be a quiet culprit.
It’s what this is, why it happens, and how to get back into control.
What is decision fatigue?
The lethargy of decisions leads to mental fatigue that begins as your days go by, no matter how small each instance is. The more choices you make, the more difficult each of the following will be for your brain.
This concept was first popularized by social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister. He discovered that self-control and decision-making are drawn from the same pool of mental resources. Eventually, the pool is either dry or your body will begin to cut back on thought processes to maintain energy.
Instead of making compassionate and informed choices, your brain defaults to one of two paths. Neither outcome will be useful in the long term. You can act impulsively or avoid decisions at all:
Impulse: Without thinking or splurge when you shouldn’t, you say yes. Avoidance: You will procrastinate and either hand the choice to someone else or reach the verdict completely.
Why are your secret weapons everyday?
Create thousands of micro waste every day – what to eat, wear, reply, click, say, skip. This constant demand is shattered by your mental clarity.
That’s why successful people, from CEOs to athletes, stick to their routines. Routines automate low stake options and maintain the energy of critical energy. Think of it like a budgeting: don’t waste it on everyday things that are not really important to your success.
The study found that after seeing 15 patients, doctors were 8.7% more likely to prescribe antibiotics.
Signs you may be experiencing decision fatigue
It doesn’t always look dramatic. If any of these rings the bell, it’s time to change how you approach the options. Here are some obvious signs that your decision muscles are tapped:
If you feel mentally foggy or irritated, you will avoid impulsive purchases or making impulsive purchases or snap decisions.
How to relieve decision fatigue
You don’t need to overhaul your life to beat the indecisiveness of brain drain. Some consistent habits can limit poor choices as they create the mental space you need and suffer in moments of mental fatigue.
1. Simplify your routine
Create a consistent flow to your day. Eat the same breakfast, wear similar clothes, and set up a training schedule. These defaults remove low-level decisions that excrete the brain early.
2. Make a big decision early
Work on important morning options – or whenever your mind is sharpest. Save the autopilot task later that day.
3. Use a pre-commitment strategy
Make a decision once and automate the rest. Schedule repeat grocery lists, preplan meals, pre-training, and unsubscribe from unwanted options. Buying groceries online may also help remove some of the overload of choices that can cause fatigue that will allow you to go to the real store.
4. Limit options
Overloading of choice leads to paralysis of decisions. Try narrowing down your options to two or three. When you have already ruled out half of the menu, it’s easy to choose dinner.
5. Take a purposeful break
Mental fatigue thrives in non-stop activities. Take a short, meaningful break from the screen. For a 10-minute walk or some deep breath, you can reset the internal resolution meter.
6. Batch similar tasks
Group options and tasks by type. Reply to all your emails at once or handle your errands in one time. This reduces the mental costs of context switching.
7. It depends on the system, not on the will
Rather than relying on discipline, it creates friction for bad choices and makes the ease for good ones. Want to read more? Leave the book on your pillow. Want to reduce scrolling? You will be logged out of the social app during work hours.
8. Enough sleep and exercise
As anyone who works in the office knows, when your brain burns out every day, you’re probably stuck at the desk for more than eight hours or staying up all night. As a result, you’ll be paralyzed before you start the day. If you have brain drainage, you cannot find a logical answer. Focus on 7 hours or more hours of sleep each day and get at least 150 minutes of weekly exercises to improve your health and regain your focus.
Why decision fatigue is important
You are neither lazy nor indecisive. It’s just running in the sky.
When decision burnout takes over, you have the ability to think clearly, act intentionally, and manage your time. You can burn out faster, spend more impulsively, or be overwhelmed by daily tasks.
Here it is: This is biology, not a character flaw. Your brain is wired to maintain energy. Instead of opposing it, manipulating its design will help you create space for better concentration, think clearly and enjoy a calm day.
Areas to automate for easy selection
Living in a convenient age means being able to pass on some of the critical thinking necessary for your choice. Hire people to handle your investments, banks, life insurance, resumes, self-promotion, funeral plans. These things don’t require undivided attention or detailed research when you’re already putting a load on your mind.
Use brokers, advisors and intermediaries to present your biggest choices and make these big arbitrations easier and more energy efficient.
Choose a comprehensive life care plan ($10,000 per day in the ICU) that includes funeral costs, costs associated with final hospitalization, or costs that include palliative care. We review every year, but put it from your heart in the other 364 days of the year.
Rewire your brain and accept that once you make them you can let go of some choices and release your mental abilities for other more pressing decisions. Affirmation helps you reprogram your mind, and by using a positive statement, you can start conditioning your thinking to your choice and movement approach.
Reduce decisions and live more
There’s no need to make fewer choices – there’s less unnecessary things.
Productivity isn’t the only thing that manages decision fatigue. It’s peace and space – your system is already handling it, so you no longer need to emphasize what’s for lunch. It’s clear to say no with confidence.
Freeing your mind from the confusion of small choices gives you more room to think about what’s really important. If you find that you are beginning to lose your ability to make good decisions for your day, it may be time to seek professional help. Talk to a trusted friend, counselor, or therapist to help you regain your personal strength and do your daily work so that you don’t have to do.
This is a joint post in support of the Peace in Peace Out initiative.
