Have you ever felt like, “If I have to make one more decision today I think I will explode! And it might be all over you!” If you have, you may be experiencing decision fatigue. And it may be the culprit for many of your bad decisions and why we often find it hard to stay on mission.
Imagine what life was like 100 years ago. It may have been harder in many ways, but I’ll guarantee you that the average person faced and needed to make way fewer decisions on any given day. Though this is a relatively new term and concept for me, researchers have been studying and trying to understand decision fatigue for quite some time.Author and Science Editor for the New York Times John Tierney has written about this extensively in his book “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength”
“Decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes, buy junk food at the supermarket and can’t resist the dealer’s offer to rustproof their new car. No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.”
This phenomenon for decision fatigue and our ability to make sound, consistent and reasonable decisions was researched over time with judges in a court room who were required each day to make many very weighty decisions. Statistics showed that as the day wore on, defendants who were found guilty received much harsher sentences than the cases that were decided earlier in the day, or subsequently directly following a break or after the judges had eaten a meal or snack.
I would sure hate to have my traffic ticket ruled upon late in the afternoon! (Author’s note: I just did and it didn’t go well.)
What About Willpower?
It turns out that this notion of some of us having more willpower than others may not be quite accurate. We all have willpower, it’s just that it is not unlimited. After making many decisions in a day our resolve weakens and it get’s harder and harder to make wise decisions. We either begin to choose “default mode” and take the path of least resistance or we do nothing. Each successive decision we are faced with receives less of our “willpower” and can begin to feel like an annoyance as we experience real emotional fatigue.[clickToTweet tweet=”Decision fatigue may be the culprit for many of our bad decisions & why it’s hard to stay on mission.” quote=”Decision fatigue may be the culprit for many of your bad decisions and why we often find it hard to stay on mission.”]
All of this has led me to pay closer attention to my own emotions, countenance and decisions as the day (and load of decision making) wears on. Am I less “nice” and harsher with co-workers or subordinates as it get’s later in the day and I have been required to make tons of decisions? Are my spouse and/or children receiving my most gracious, patient attention and decision making after I come home from work? Or do they at times feel like they are an “add-on” to my day, a distraction, and just one more decision that I have to weigh in on and give approval or blessing to? I need to figure out how to reduce or eliminate this from my life in a significant way. And fast!
So, Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?
Writer and researcher on behavioral psychology, James Clear states: “Decision fatigue happens every day in your life as well. If you have a particularly decision-heavy day at work, then you come home feeling drained. You might want to go to the gym and workout, but your brain would rather default to the easy decision: sit on the couch. That’s decision fatigue. The same thing is true if you find it hard to muster up the willpower to work on your side business at night or to cook a healthy meal for dinner. And while decision fatigue is something that we all deal with, there are a few ways that you can organize your life and design your day to master your willpower.”
I think this has a lot to do with why many of us find it hard to stick with our plans for making disciples and the various missional endeavors we’ve committed to. A lot of that activity comes at the end of our day and we are out willpower and “decision mojo”!
Here are three things I learned from James Clear’s insightful article that will help you reduce decision fatigue on a daily or lifestyle basis:
1. Plan out routine decisions the night before.
My father decided what he was going to wear the next day and laid it out the night before his entire adult life. I never realized how smart that was! Daily routines and normal stuff we all have to do can be planned out (and calendared) in advance.
More examples…What am I going to eat for breakfast or lunch? Will I run this chore before or after work? What bills do I have to pay each month that can be automated? All of this can save valuable willpower that can be used for more important decisions throughout your day.
2. Block your time and calendar important things.
If you’ve ever wondered why you have not had success with certain things you hoped to get done, it could be related to decision fatigue. Instead of hoping each day that you’ll make the right decision (get up early for the gym, write that book, call your parents more often, etc.) make a commitment to the project, and yourself, by putting it into your calendar.
Most of us place loads of important things in our calendars and they become immoveable. But when it comes to personal things we often dream more than commit to those things. If we continue to lay back hoping to make good and progressive decisions each day, then it is likely we’ll succumb to decision fatigue and waining willpower again and again.
3. Do the most important things earlier in your day.
What are the most important things you have to do tomorrow? Do you know what they are? Plan to do them first thing in the morning if at all possible. I usually wake up and spend an hour or more answering emails right away, which is not the most important thing I have to do each day. I am changing that. Who and/or what needs your absolute best decision-making self? Give it to them first.
Some of our well worn patterns in all of this may take time to change. But a few tweaks to your intention and rhythms can help reduce decision fatigue in your life and have a pretty powerful affect on your joy, effectiveness and other’s perceptions of you.
Question: What can you immediately begin to move earlier in your daily routine to avoid making decisions when you’re starting to tap out and suffer decision fatigue? Let me know in the comments below.
