5 Ways To Survive Decision Fatigue
Have you ever questioned the decisions you made after a long day? Do you feel there is a limit to your willpower?
In 1985 Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to be the first to reach the 21,000 foot summit of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. They succeed, and the two embarked on the treacherous descent down the mountain when disaster struck.
As darkness fell and a blizzard raged Simpson plunged off a vertical ice ledge breaking his leg. In the hours that followed Yates tried to lower Simpson to safety until the conditions threatened both of their lives and he was forced to cut the rope connecting them.
Simpson plunged over 150 feet down a deep icy canyon. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him.
Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall, but he was trapped on a ledge deep in the crevasse. He was crippled, starving, severely frostbitten, and unable to climb out of the ice crevasse.
Not knowing if Yates was alive, Simpson was forced to make a survival decision. Would he remain on the ledge or attempt to repel deeper into dark crevasse?
What Is Decision Fatigue
When faced with difficult choices it turns out that you only have a limited amount of willpower.
Surprisingly small daily decisions impact the willpower you have for making important choices. More importantly it is the simple choices you make that will help master your willpower and make better decisions on a more consistent basis.
“Making decisions uses the very same willpower that you use to say no to doughnuts, drugs, or illicit sex,” says Roy F. Baumeister, a psychologist who studies decision fatigue and the co-author of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. “It’s the same willpower that you use to be polite or to wait your turn or to drag yourself out of bed or to hold off going to the bathroom.”
When you make a decision you're using up the supply of mental energy you have for a day, in the same way that you can only lift a weight so many times before your muscles give up on you.
When you have used all of your mental energy it can be easy to make poor choices or succumb to temptation. Psychologists call this decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue happens everyday in life as we are bombarded with choices from what we wear to eating properly.
And while decision fatigue is something that we all deal with, there are ways that you can organize your life and design your day to master your willpower.
Ways To Overcome Decision Fatigue
Joe Simpson was faced with many difficult choices in order to survive. With each obstacle he had to simplify his decisions in order to maintain his willpower.
These 5 lessons can be used in our everyday life to simplify our choices to prevent decision fatigue and improve output:
Don’t postpone decisions to avoid uncomfortable situations
Stranded on the icy ledge deep in the ice crevice Joe Simpson had to make a decision — remain there to die or repel deeper into the crevasse. Simpson switched off his headlamp and screamed in anger at his situation. When he had regained his wits, he finally made the decision to repel off the safety of the ledge deeper into the ice crevasse despite being unable to see the bottom or knowing if there was an exit.
If you are invited to a meeting that you don't wish to attend answering with “Can I let you know next week?” will only delay the inevitable and uncomfortable message later on. Instead make a definitive choice like “I’m sorry but I have plans and won't be able to attend” and move on.
Regret is past-tense decision making. Eliminate complaining to minimize regret.
Once Simpson successfully repelled down to the bottom of the ice crevasse, he was forced to climb up to a hole in the ice using his broken leg. The extreme pain was so intense that once he reached the sunlight he wished he had remained on the ledge in the crevasse. After that moment he quickly decided that he wouldn't die there and began to make his descent down the mountain.
Decision-making should not be avoided, but the time we consider each choice is the biggest consumer of willpower. Total deliberation time, not the number of decisions, is a major cause of decision fatigue. Past choices can not be changed, so don't waste your time regretting them.
Automate Decisions
Joe Simpson has escaped the ice crevasse but was exhausted, dehydrated, and in incredible pain. He still had miles to go before he reached safety. To keep himself moving he automated his decision making. Simpson would pick a rock or spot on the ice and set a goal to reach that location in 20 minutes, no matter what. Setting these automatic decisions allowed him to stop thinking about his situation and instead keep moving towards his goal.
Automating routine daily tasks can free up willpower for more important decisions. Tim Ferriss is the master at automating everything from emails to diet choices. Others such as Steve Jobs and President Obama always dress the same to save their concentration for more meaningful decisions.
Learn to make reversible decisions as quickly as possible.
After reaching the bottom, Simpson still had to navigate through a maze of canyons and obstacles on the glacier at the base of the mountain. He started following Yate’s footsteps until the storm blew them away in the middle of the night. By morning the trail of footsteps were gone. Simpson could have given up, but quickly made the decision to navigate down the glacier by standing up with his broken leg every so often to get his bearings until he made it to through.
Fast decisions saves your attention for what really matters. Instead of spending time debating over saving small amounts of time or money you can focus your willpower on the most important decisions you must make.
Make a Commitment to Automation
Finally Simpson reached the trailhead. Unfortunately, their camp was still several miles away over an extremely rough and rocky trail. Simpson could no longer drag his broken leg across the ice, but would need to hobble over the boulders and gravel. As he approached the limits of human endurance he made a commitment not to die alone. After a day of agonizing down the trail and with his final bit of strength he made it to camp.
Simpson wanted to give up, but his commitment to not die alone kept him moving. If your commitment is to going to the gym or eating healthy than automate your decisions as much as possible. Make it a point to go the gym every Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 6:30pm. Or eat the same healthy meals everyday without fail.
Simplifying Our Choices
“Life can deal you an amazing hand. Do you play it steady, bluff like crazy or go all in?”
— Joe Simpson
Miraculously Simon Yates was still at their base camp despite giving up Joe Simpson for dead and even burning his clothes.
Although he severely dehydrated, starving, frostbitten, and with a badly broken leg, Joe Simpson survived and continues to climb today.
Joe Simpson’s story is legendary in mountaineer lore and testament to human willpower and determination. His lessons in avoiding decision fatigue can help us to navigate big challenges by simplifying the number of small choices we make in our daily lives to focus on the decisions that matter.
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