Tired of making decisions?
Decision fatigue (ego depletion, mental depletion) is a popular psychology term describing a condition in which cognitive abilities are reduced. This phenomenon was discovered by the social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister. According to studies, this condition occurs when a person is forced to make too many decisions during the day or choose from too many options.
Not a very good thing. Because it makes us less productive. The more decisions you make in one day, the worse each next one will be. Not only people in positions of responsibility and leadership are susceptible to this condition, but also parents and educators of children, etc. It does not matter whether these decisions are complex or simple, whether they concern global issues or domestic ones, the problem is their number.
Previously, psychologists recommended to make important decisions only in the morning - then the decision will be rational, as opposed to the evening when emotions are already accumulated. This turned out to be not quite right, because many people's biological activity hours are in the second half of the day. That doesn't mean you have to do complicated calculations to immediately figure out exactly when you have your peak productivity time, and move important decisions from the evening to the morning - and vice versa. You don't need to do anything like that! But freeing yourself from a lot of small decisions, reducing the number of decisions made without a break and rest would not hurt anyone, this is a productive and rational way.
Many politicians, for example, have been known to reduce their choice of casual clothing to 2-3 choices or to delegate these decisions to specially hired people. Barack Obama, the former U.S. president, admitted in an interview that he only wears grey and blue shirts so as not to make too many decisions in a day, and not at all because he does not like other colors. And judges make more positive decisions after they have lunch or rest. It's very simple: when you're already tired, you're afraid to make a mistake and take the easy way out. For example, refuse to reconsider a case if you're a judge. Or you begin to avoid making decisions at all, launching the process of procrastination (postponing decisions and actions to the very last moment, switching to other things).
You must have noticed this pattern in your own life, too. When you had to choose from a menu with too many items, you chose what you knew best, even when you were ready to try new things. And if the same menu is reduced to 6-7 items - the likelihood that you decide to try a new one is higher.
Investors and partners involved in important projects also make many decisions that affect their lives. How do you make the most effective decisions? Easy! Here's what's going to help you with that:
• Decide ahead of time anything that can be decided ahead of time. What you eat today, what time you have lunch, what time you go to bed. That way there will be less routine, you'll just know the answers to these complicated questions.
• Take 10-minute breaks between each decision. If you need to make a decision on the project and choose a coffee maker, for example, deal with the project task first, take 10 minutes to rest, and then proceed to examine the offers. That way you have a better chance of choosing exactly what you need, rather than the cheapest or the first one you find.
• Distribute decisions according to their importance. Solve the most difficult issues first, and the small ones after that.
• Minimize your list of decisions. Ask yourself: is it really important for me to address this issue today? That's how you'll find out that a lot of decisions aren't really important to you. For example, it may turn out that you do not care what color shirt to wear, and this matter will also be settled in advance.
• Praise yourself! For every good decision you make.
That's it. You shouldn't criticize yourself or others for the lack of willpower if you're tired and don't want to solve anything else. Roy F. Baumeister and other specialists have long proved that willpower is a natural resource that can be depleted by constant use. Just like other resources, it must be replenished.