In day-to-day life, people make many decisions, be it waking up from their bed to attend a morning class or making decisions about whether or not to invest in mutual funds? Decisions can be big or small, but you are always given options to decide from for your next move. So it is very natural that people like you and me may get overwhelmed or exhausted by rigorously making decisions day in and day out.
This is known as decision fatigue. It is a mental condition where a person’s ability to handle decision-making debilitates. Many may not believe it, but everyone may have felt fatigued after making several decisions at some point in life. Some might have experienced this phenomenon of decision fatigue during the pandemic period. It is the condition where your battery depletes after you have worked out a lot doing the same chore.
Causes of decision Fatigues
Nowadays, adults and teenagers are stressed out due to work and study schedules. Life gives them many decisions to make. The underlying cause can be a stressful lifestyle and their decision-making process. Some decisions may be the big ones like deciding your career or small daily life decisions like choosing the flavor of your ice cream.
One makes several decisions from the wake of the morning till their bedtime. For instance, you choose your outfit for the day, make your breakfast, or which playlist to listen to on the way back home, etc. One may not realize that these decisions consume your mental energy until and unless you have lost your peace of mind.
Business tycoons or corporate job holders have to go through a tiring day making decisions consciously or subconsciously. Complex decisions drain a lot of energy, and you may feel burned out or tired mentally.
Therefore at the end of the day, those who have been awake the whole day making decisions find it difficult to choose wisely. The night owls may find this contradictory true as they rest their minds in the morning hours. It depends on your schedule of the day.
Symptoms of decision Fatigue
Several sufferers often overlook decision fatigue and may not find a particular solution for it. But usually, the signs of decision fatigue that may frequently occur areas;
- Feeling tired
- Restlessness
- Brain fog
- Physical & Mental fatigue
The phenomenon can aggravate, and you may feel that such signs also worsen. You may feel drained all day, or your decisions may lack the concentration you used to have.
How to tackle Decision Fatigue?
The decision fatigue phenomenon is a modern-day problem that may arise due to a lack of rest and sleep. Continuous work and no refreshments can depress your mind in the long go. To tackle this issue, below are some effective ways that might help you to fight decision fatigue;
1. Create a Priority in Decision-Making Process
By preparing a priority list, you need to streamline your choices. Lesser choices help you choose better. Write down your to-do task a day before, so you don’t have to make rapid decisions. Sudden impulsive decisions can be wrong in the long run.
For instance, you can choose your outfit for the day, the night before. You can prepare a list of what work you need to complete on the same day. Preparing a shopping list will also lessen your burden when shopping in a multi-center. This will make you feel controlled and disciplined.
2. Ask For People’s Opinions
You can be the head of your company, house, or class group, but making decisions can lead to decision fatigue every time. So let your team members choose the spot of discussion or your playlist for the picnic, or let your employees give the presentation for that day.
This helps you build a good rapport with your colleagues and dear ones. You start trusting their decisions, and it makes them feel valuable. You can even divide your judgments into many small steps before taking the big step. This gives you space and time to analyze your decision. Delegating decisions can be helpful many times.
3. Avoid Distractions
Social media can be harmful sometimes if you are over-consuming it. Browsing vaguely through your mobile phone or gazing through your social media account can distract you from your main task. You might feel it more interesting, relaxing, and unavoidable while in the middle of a difficult task.
This leads to procrastination of decisions where they all get piled up, and you are now more tensed. Set time-limit and parental control over your screen time. So reducing these distractions can help you focus more on the task at hand.
4. Make Big Decisions When You are Full Awake
Research suggests that morning hours are the best time to make big decisions. It is true but not for all, especially the GenZ generation. You can choose your own leisure time when relaxed and aware of making big decisions in life without impulsion. Don’t make decisions when hungry or tired, or distracted. That time should be when you are more thoughtful to make accurate decisions.
5. Perfect Decisions Don’t Exist
Your decisions are the outcome of your present condition, so that they might be correct or incorrect. Thus, never doubt yourself and your ability to decide if some who any decision got wrong. Decision fatigue develops when you waste your energy overthinking that your decision is unchangeable. Never blame yourself for any decision you have taken.
6. Follow Daily Routine
When you can make your small decisions as your habits, they will no longer bother you. Such as, you want to wake up at a particular time, so set the alarm for it beforehand. You can develop good habits like maintaining your wardrobe or setting your bed after waking up in the morning. A set bed and wardrobe create less confusion and lessens choices to make.
You can decrease your anxiety about how you will present yourself by already choosing a handful of outfits and arranging your items to hold while you leave the night before. Once you develop these routine works as your habits, you will be able to focus on making bigger decisions for life.
When should you need an Expert’s Help?
Decision fatigue is mostly curable by making some lifestyle changes. But in case you have developed chronic decision fatigue. You may experience some symptoms like constant anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and mental burnout regularly. This condition may worsen if you have other health issues as well. So seek a doctor to resolve and come out of this faster.
Final Thoughts
While decision fatigue remains undercover for many, researchers are trying to discover and learn about it. Some trials have shown that people claim to experience failure to make prompt decisions as the day passes by. It’s mostly curable and can be controlled with strong support and willpower. You may need to give your body and mind sufficient rest time to work efficiently.
My name is Vijay Singh Khatri, and I enjoy meeting new people and finding ways to help them have an uplifting experience. I have had a variety of customer service opportunities, through which I was able to have fewer returned products and increased repeat customers when compared with co-workers.
