Decision fatigue: Causes, signs, and 5 ways to counter it

"When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier."

—Roy E. Disney

Just like breathing, decision-making is a regular part of our everyday lives. With each decision, your brain grows tired—just like the aftermath of a gym session. This reduces the brain's ability to make decisions later in the day, causing decision fatigue.

However, by streamlining your decision-making process, you can ensure a productive day filled with good decisions. In the long run, this will facilitate a happy life with healthy mental clarity.

What is decision fatigue?

Decision fatigue is the deteriorating quality of decisions we make after a long day of making numerous choices. Our mental energy is lowered after each decision, especially when they are complex and consequential.

The causes of decision fatigue

Decisions are costly, and your mental energy is the currency you pay. The goal is to spend your mental energy judiciously without going bankrupt, causing decision fatigue.

But what are the underlying causes that force us to make so many decisions? Let's find out.

Overthinking

To overthink everything is a highway toward decision fatigue. Do you constantly wonder, "Did I leave my stove on?" or "Did I shut the window?" after leaving your home? This can steal your valuable mental energy and limit your ability to make valuable decisions later in the day.

Sleep deprivation

Are you having a hard time making decisions? A lack of sleep could be the culprit behind this. Good physical health can directly impact your mental health, allowing for less friction while you make important decisions. More friction leads to a hard time making decisions, adding to your fatigue.

Time pressure

Most of the decisions you make in life are time-sensitive. This ticking bomb sensation can put undue pressure on you to make critical decisions quickly, causing decision fatigue by running down your mental energy.

Overwhelming number of decisions

Making a lot of decisions in a day can put a strain on your mental energy, causing fatigue. This is the equivalent of doing excessive reps in the gym, which causes muscle fatigue and hurts your gains.

Being a perfectionist

Being perfect is a desirable virtue, but it loses value when it leads to mental exhaustion. The strive to be flawless creates stress and anxiety over every action. Deliberating over each decision adds to your fatigue level.

Signs of decision fatigue

There are certain tell-tale signs of a person who's battling decision fatigue. By catching them well in advance, you can chart an effective plan to overcome this phenomenon.

Burnout

Decision fatigue leaves you with limited ability to make concrete decisions. This leads to chronic stress and reduced professional efficiency, which is a recipe for burnout. If this sounds like something you're feeling, then it's time to cut down on unnecessary decisions in your day.

Lack of productivity

Do you feel like your days are unproductive and the simplest choices take a lot of time? This is another symptom of decision fatigue. When you're fighting a mental battle with fatigue, it's harder to get meaningful work done.

Physical symptoms

The symptoms of decision fatigue also present themselves physically. The tendency of impulse buying, frequent headaches due to stress, and feeling tired throughout the day are some of the indicators of decision fatigue.

Inability to focus

Another casualty of the epidemic of decision fatigue is the ability to focus. You're left with hindered mental energy that makes it harder for you to concentrate on your work. You'll avoid taking on harder tasks in your work due to mental exhaustion.

Reduced emotional intelligence

Decision fatigue also leaves its mark on your ability to empathize, identify social cues, and manage self-awareness, all of which reduces your emotional intelligence. This can leave lasting impressions in your workplace, jeopardizing your ability to work with people.

Ways to counter decision fatigue

The signs we saw above paint a grim picture by shedding light on the negative effects of decision fatigue. But you can easily overcome them by making slight changes to your day. Let's explore those in detail below.

1. Keep a simple routine.

Have you noticed that successful leaders like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wear the small variations of the same outfit every single day? Jobs rarely veered from his trademark black turtleneck, and Zuckerberg is known for his hoodie collection. This is an example of a rigid routine that limits trivial day-to-day decisions like what to wear or what to eat for breakfast. Defining a simple routine that works for you can reduce mental strain and improve efficiency.

2. Create a decision framework.

Decisions are inevitable, but you can control how much mental energy you spend on them with a decision framework. This will help you have a defined approach when you're faced with a decision instead of considering all of the variables and exhausting yourself. A framework like the Eisenhower Matrix can do wonders to eliminate decision fatigue.

3. Take regular breaks.

As we've established earlier, our brain is a muscle that grows tired the more we use it. Taking timely breaks throughout our workday can rejuvenate your mental energy. The Pomodoro Technique, where you work for 25 minutes and take a break for 5 minutes, can be your key to overcoming decision fatigue.

4. Practice rigid prioritization.

Flexibility in decision-making can be beneficial in certain situations, like when you're working with a team. But having elbow room while making some decisions leaves the door open for deliberation, causing mental fatigue. The goal here is to find a balance while making a decision that prioritizes value over emotions.  

5. Remove distractions.

This one may seem trivial to list here, but it's very much culpable in causing decision fatigue. Distractions deplete your mental energy by fragmenting your attention and creating mental clutter. Remove digital distractions, avoid multitasking, and create a workspace that helps you focus.

Summing up

Conquer distractions, and you can conquer everything. But it's easier said than done. The average human makes more than 35,000 decisions every day. That is a huge strain to exert on your brain. Be vigilant about where you spend your finite willpower. Cut down on the number of decisions and eliminate decision fatigue.