How to Combat Decision Fatigue, Every Day

Do you sometimes feel that life throws you too many decisions?

From the moment you get up, you have to decide what to eat, whether to hit the gym, what time to leave for work, what snacks to eat, what route to take on the way, and a lot more. At work, a barrage of decisions will likely tire you out by noon.

We don’t know about you, but all these decisions drain us of mental power and focus. This is called decision fatigue and is an enemy of personal growth and happiness, right up there with procrastination and fear.

You’ll find this article helpful in recognizing and combating decision fatigue in your daily life. 

Signs of Decision Fatigue

Don’t think you have decision fatigue? It can rear its ugly face in many ways and interfere with a person’s ability to live happily.

Here are common signs of decision fatigue you may be experiencing right now, as well as some suggestions that we know will help you fight them.

Often, you won’t even be conscious of decision fatigue. You don’t have to feel physical fatigue and exhaustion, but you can be aware of the effects of decision fatigue, such as decision avoidance and impulsivity.

Decision fatigue helps explain why parole board judges are more likely to give favorable rulings early in the morning and just after lunch.

With such serious consequences, can you combat decision fatigue? We say that you can, and perhaps all you need is a simple change in your lifestyle.

Fighting Decision Fatigue in 8 Simple Ways

Make Important Decisions Early in the Morning

Mornings are when your brain is at its sharpest. Without fatigue, clutter, and distractions, the brain can make clear, well-thought-out choices. You can then leave the less demanding decisions for later and minimize the effects of ego depletion. 

Create Habits and Routines

Ever notice how Mark Zuckerberg wears the same outfit every day? He does this to avoid having to make a wardrobe decision every morning. A genius life hack.

In the same way, you can automate some of your trivial decisions by creating routines and habits.

One of the biggest thieves of mental energy is meal planning. You can make weekly meal plans on Sundays to free your week ahead.

These simple solutions liberate your mind from having to make trivial and sometimes mentally draining decisions. Here are several others you can turn into a daily routine:

• Create a workout routine for each week.
• Instead of putting them in your daily planner, convert your most regular actions into daily routines. These include reading, snacking, breaks, or meditation.
• Batch your work. Create specific times for calls, emails, phone or video sessions, and also set aside days for meetings or creative work.
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day and pattern your life around that.
• Use the same product or service provider. 

Monitor Your Energy Levels

Your blood glucose levels are a big factor influencing your decision-making powers. A quick mid-morning snack and another one mid-afternoon can help keep your blood sugar levels up and reduce mental fatigue. 

We have something even better than snacks. How about protein and energy supplements such as our all-natural Shrooms Blend?

SHROOMS

Containing four of the most popular mushrooms for brain function, this blend delays fatigue and keeps energy levels high during and after your workouts.

At ATH Sport, we subscribe to strict sourcing guidelines to ensure that all our products are 100% free from artificial additives so that you can be sure of safe products every time.

David R. | Customer review

We suggest that you break down any long work session with frequent breaks and varied activities to maintain balance and give your brain time to rest and refocus.

Limit Your Options

One Stanford study found that when shoppers were presented with six flavors of fruit jam, 30% made a purchase. When the options were increased to 24, only 3% bought one. When people feel overwhelmed, the natural reaction is to avoid the decision.

Use the same psychology to ensure that you can take action and not be bogged down by decision fatigue. Start with having similar clothing options in your wardrobe.

You can also reduce your meal choices to the same breakfast or lunch meal every day or every other day.

When shopping, don’t spend hours looking for the best deal only to save a few dollars.

This way, you get to work with as few options as possible and make decision-making easier and faster.

Avoid Rabbit Holes With Timed Decisions

Talking of shopping, it's easy to go down the rabbit hole of distractions and waste a lot of time and energy over what should be a simple decision.

In this case, set yourself a deadline by which you need to make a decision. By the end of this timeline, pick one option and move on with your life. Sometimes, all you need to do is get started.

Automate or Delegate What You Can

There are some decisions you can remove completely from your life and make things easier for yourself. You can automate bill payments as deductions from your paycheck or credit card, so you never have to think about them again.

You can also delegate some duties and reduce your responsibilities. Start by assigning simple decisions to your juniors at work or family members when at home.

Create a Decision-Making Process

When facing difficult or complex decisions, the only way to simplify them is to break the process down into a decision matrix or decision tree. It works by helping you to visualize the different angles of the decision and weigh in on them.

One way to create a decision process is to list all your options and the various factors surrounding them. This way, you can come to a solid decision by elimination.

The other method is to break down a big decision into a series of small actionable ones. You can have a series of smaller actions you can take leading up to the main goal. We find this very effective at dealing with procrastination and decision avoidance.

Since decision fatigue also drains self-control, these bite-sized steps are easier to act on and will get you started on what you need to do.

Don’t Rehash Your Decisions

Once you have made your choice, don’t revisit it. Learn to live with it instead of debating it, and embrace any mistakes that you make. That’s the only way to save your mental energy and make you a good decision-maker. 

What to Do When Decision Fatigue Does Set In

Even with all these measures, you’ll experience decision fatigue at some point. When this happens, avoid making choices except for the most basic ones.

More importantly, take care of your body. Your general health matters a lot if you want to keep your mind in peak condition. Exercise, drink a lot of water, sleep 8 hours a day, watch what you eat, and all that.

And, on those days when you just need something extra to sustain your energy, pick up our Shrooms supplement. It’ll give your mind the extra focus, oxygen, and energy it needs to keep making more decisions when others cannot.

Why choose ATH?

We work hard to bring you the best of organic supplements, and our clients love them. We know that you will, too.

"Focused and energized. I am an entrepreneur, and have to use my time wisely, and this has helped me focus and gave me energy so that I can be productive and efficient in my day to day operations. I love the quality and natural ingredients. I do feel more focused and aware and look forward to the results in the months to come."

Sage A. | Customer review

FAQs

What Is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue is a term used to describe the tiredness and weariness experienced by the mind after sustained decision-making. It erodes willpower, emotional control, focus, and the ability to make decisions rationally, which is called ego depletion. 

What Causes Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue occurs after having to make too many decisions over a set period. It also happens when there are so many options that you can’t make up your mind. At some point, the mental power and focus required to make these decisions wear out the brain.

Is Decision Fatigue a Real Thing?

Yes, anybody can suffer from decision fatigue. Many peer-reviewed studies have already been conducted into the problem and solutions for it. If you keep track of personal data on the number of decisions you have to make daily, it’s quite easy to spot.

What Is Ego Depletion?

When you use your available willpower and decision-making energy, that’s ego depletion. Ego depletion is why ordinarily sensible people suddenly make poor choices such as poor diet and unnecessary purchases. These irrational trade-offs will diminish when the right decision-making ability is restored.