How Decision Fatigue Affects Decision Quality

Big decisions, small decisions, they all add up and take up space and mental energy. How are you handling decision fatigue? Are you taking shortcuts or avoiding making decisions entirely? How is this affecting the quality of your decisions at work or at home?

 

Here are some practical ways to avoid decision fatigue:

•  Keep your body and your brain hydrated with water  
• Eat small, regular snacks throughout the day to keep your glucose levels up
• Take power naps of 20 minutes
• Meditation also frees up the mind and re-energises it
• Get a good night’s sleep
• Make a list of all the major decisions you know you will have to make in the week ahead on a Sunday night (of course there will be many more that come at you all the time – I’m talking big decisions)
• Divide a page in half and write down the decisions on the left-hand side of the page that you are considering, and write down the action on the right-hand side. If you don’t yet know what action needs to be taken or what decision you are going to make, leave it blank.
• The fact that you have written it down opens it up for the answering. You are giving your brain permission to get on with it unconsciously, and surprisingly, when you get back to it consciously, the answer may be obvious without having to expend much energy on it at all.
• Plan to address big decisions first thing in the morning. If you can to get them out of your way, knowing you will make better decisions earlier in the day, the better off you will be.