What is Decision Fatigue and How Do You Defeat it?

Have you ever taken a large sigh of relief after you finished giving a waiter your order? Sometimes after choosing your main entree from an endless menu, we’re surprised we then have to pick between soup or salad (and different kinds of those), several side dishes, possibly the size of our dish, and sometimes how something should be prepared. Even requesting water can lead to several questions. The tired feeling is a result of decision fatigue.

Decision Fatigue shows that as you make decisions all day, the task becomes more and more difficult for your brain. This can result in satisficing. Author and designer Jenifer Tidwell explains that satisficing is when “people are willing to accept “good enough” instead of “best” if learning all the alternatives might cost time or effort.” With the countless decisions we make each day, how can we defeat decision fatigue and determine the best choices?

1. Make important decisions early in the day. A study titled “Extraneous factors in judicial decisions” found that whether or not a prisoner receives parole can be affected by what time of day the judges deliberate. About 70% of prisoners whose case was heard early in the morning were paroled. Less than 10% of prisoners who appeared later in the day received parole. Why? At the beginning, the judges spent a lot of time on the decision. Later, when decision fatigue set in, it was easier to stick with the status quo.
2. Follow a schedule. Not only should you organize making important decisions early in the day, but if there’s a lot to be done, you should create a schedule for the entire day. Personally, I’m finding this is superior to a basic to-do list. Spending five minutes to decide what and when you will do things reduces time and energy spent making the decision “what should I work on next?” Decisions can wear you out as much as tasks themselves.
3. Give in a little early on instead of a lot later. An article in the New York Times Magazine titled “Do you suffer from Decision Fatigue?” explained “…experiments demonstrated that there is a finite store of mental energy for exerting self-control. When people fended off the temptation to scarf down M&M’s or freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies, they were then less able to resist other temptations.” I can’t count the times I’ve “been good all day” and then rewarded myself with a treat at night that’s probably more than the amount of calories I wanted for the entire day.
4. Have a snack. There is another reason to treat yourself a bit. When your body is low on glucose, it doesn’t focus on long-term prospects as much as immediate rewards. The prisoner parole study also found that prisoners who came just after the judges had lunch were 45% more likely to receive parole that those who saw them right before.
5. Don’t force others to make too many choices. If you are a designer, this lesson is especially important for you. Don’t make your users choose between too many things. While it may seem “the more options the better,” this isn’t always the case. If the choices are fatiguing the user, they will likely settle for the default options anyway and won’t appreciate the accompanied stress.

Sorry, decisions aren’t going to go away. But there are ways to make sure you’re making your decisions in a good state of mind and proper environment. Don’t fall victim to decision fatigue because I can tell you for sure that’s the worst choice of all to make.

How do you fight decision fatigue?

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