Owner Health: Should I Stay or Should I Go (Decision Fatigue)

I love going out for dinner with my wife. But I hate deciding which restaurant to go to. This is an issue for us because she, too, hates deciding where to go. If our conversations about where to have dinner were recorded, they would be painful to listen to. For your amusement, here’s an example:

Me: “Where do you want to eat?”

Her: “I don’t care. Where do you want to eat?”

Me: “It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll eat anywhere?”

Her: “Do you feel like anything in particular?”

Me: “No. Do you?”

Her: “No. Would you please just make a decision?!”

Like I said…painful. I remember the first time I heard about decision fatigue. Finally our struggle to decide on a restaurant made sense to me. We make so many decisions each day, that by the time dinner rolls around, we are done.

Medical News Today defines decision fatigue as “a psychological phenomenon surrounding a person’s ability or capacity to make decisions”. They go on to say that “the theory surrounding decision fatigue is that a human’s ability to make decisions can get worse after making many decisions, as their brain will be more fatigued. This fatigue applies to all decisions, not simply the large and more difficult ones. It can help some people to think of the decision-making ability as a finite source, such as a battery. Each decision reduces the charge of the battery, and the person has less energy available to make other decisions later on[1].”

We all make many, many decisions each day, starting from the moment we wake up. We make decisions about how many times to hit the snooze button (or is that just me?), what we’ll wear that day, what we’ll eat, what we’re going to read or watch. These are generally simple decisions, but they contribute to decision fatigue. The harder and more complex the decision, the quicker decision fatigue can set in, the sooner our energy levels are depleted and the less likely we are to make wise decisions the rest of the day.

“If your work requires you to make hard decisions all day long, at some point you’re going to be depleted and start looking for ways to conserve energy. You’ll look for excuses to avoid or postpone decisions. You’ll look for the easiest and safest option, which often is to stick with the status quo”, says Roy Baumeister in his book Willpower[2].

Some common symptoms of decision fatigue are: 

• Impulsivity – not taking the time to think through the consequences of your decisions. Have you noticed that the grocery store check-out is lined with chocolate bars, chips and other treats? That’s because the marketing gurus are hoping you’ve exhausted your good decision-making abilities while you’ve shopped for your groceries so that, once you’re done, you will be more likely to impulsively purchase a sweet treat.
• Analysis Paralysis – the inability to act or decide due to over-thinking available alternatives, possible outcomes and data. I see this very often with business owners. And it’s totally understandable. Our staff rely on us to make good decisions. In fact, their livelihoods depend on us making good decisions. But sometimes there are so many options, so many possibilities, that it causes us to become unable to make a decision.
• Decision Avoidance – procrastinating on making a decision or refusing to make a decision altogether; can also manifest itself as choosing the default option rather than the one that is right for you. This is different from analysis paralysis in that we’re not over-thinking a decision, we’re avoiding thinking about it altogether. This is also a very common practice amongst business owners. But it is also one of the easiest ways to destroy staff morale and productivity, as well as put your entire business at risk. Carrie Wilkerson says, “The longer you go before taking action, the more money you’re losing”. Avoiding decisions can be costly!
• Aggression – your brain’s regulatory power is weakened resulting in an inability to control your emotions. I hate to admit it, but this is something my family is more likely to deal with than my staff. When I am tired, stressed, and depleted, I can get angry. My wife is pretty good at telling me to take a nap (or a hike, whatever the circumstances warrant!) when she sees me starting to act more aggressively. Self-awareness is key here in order to avoid having to make apologies later. When you sense you’re less in control of your emotions, take a break. Take a nap. Take a hike.

So now that we know some of the common ways decision fatigue manifests itself, how can we manage it?

Prioritize Decisions

The first step is to make the hard and important decisions earlier in the day. You will have more energy and more capacity to make those decisions if you haven’t depleted your decision-making abilities with less important decisions. So prioritize your day so that you’re making the hardest and most complex decisions when you’re at your best.

Simplify

It’s reported that Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, wore the same thing every day (black turtleneck, Levi’s jeans and running shoes) simply because it was one less decision he had to make every day. My wife eats the same thing for lunch every day for the same reason. Finding ways to simplify everyday decisions will help reduce stress and allow you to save your energy for the important decisions.

Know When It’s Time to Stop

Roy Baumeister, author of Willpower says “The best decision makers are the ones who know when not to trust themselves. Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low. That’s why the truly wise don’t restructure the company at 4 p.m. They don’t make major commitments during the cocktail hour. And if a decision must be made late in the day, they know not to do it on an empty stomach”

Being proactive about the way you structure your day by prioritizing the hard and important decisions, simplifying your everyday decisions, and being aware of fatigue will help you manage decision fatigue, reduce stress, and decrease the likelihood of bad decisions. Oh, and if you have any restaurant recommendations for me and my wife, I’d love to hear them!

[1] Jon Johnson, “What is Decision Fatigue?” Medical News Today, July 6, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/decision-fatigue, (accessed 8/9/2021).

[2] Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (New York: The Penguin Group, 2011).