Decision Fatigue – What is it?

“Decision fatigue depletes one’s willpower” — Roy F. Baumeister

Every day, we make hundreds of choices.

We decide what to wear, what to eat, what to declutter in our homes, and what shows to watch.

While most of these choices seem small, they do add up because there are many tings to choose from.

Over time, our brains can get tired of making so many choices, and this mental exhaustion is known as decision fatigue.

It’s lowers our ability to think clearly and make good choices.

When we have decision fatigue “the quality of our decision-making declines as we make additional choices, as our cognitive abilities get worn out” according to the Decision Lab.

Decision Fatigue Examples!

There are several situations where decision fatigue comes into play.

✨ Someone who doesn’t plan or assemble meals in advance, may feel tired and hungry at the end of the day. Poor planning may lead to eating junk food because it’s easier to grab whatever is available.

🌻 Traveling takes planning because we need to book flights, hotels, rental cars and choose what to pack. This can cause exhaustion before the trip even begins.

✨ Many of us accumulate hundreds of emails. We spend countless hours sorting and trying to determine which ones to answer first, than actually writing the responses.

🌻 Restaurants have huge menus with so many choices, and it’s so overwhelming that we end up choosing something random, or copying what a friend orders.

✨ People who shop online may find endless options when they are looking for a certain item. You not only have to choose the right store, you have to choose the products that sometimes all look similar.

Valleyoaks.org reminds us “Recognizing decision fatigue and adopting strategies to simplify choices can reduce cognitive strain and foster a healthier, more balanced mindset”.

Combatting Decision Fatigue!

Here are some self care habits you could incorporate to help combat decision fatigue:

📌 Plan in advance with things like meal planning, putting clothes out the night before, or scheduling workouts for the week.
📌 Create daily habits and routines so you can run on auto pilot and save your energy for bigger choices.
📌 Taking breaks and resting our minds can help recharge the decision-making ability.
📌 Making decisions early in the day is best because the mind is sharper.

Decision fatigue doesn’t mean we’re weak, it means that we can protect our mental energy by planning ahead.

Automating small choices, can free our brains to focus on the things that matter.