"Decision fatigue" refers to the tiredness or mental exhaustion that occurs when someone has to make too many decisions in a short period of time.
Full definition
The sheer number of decisions we have to make each day leads to a phenomenon
called decision fatigue, whereby your brain actually tires like a muscle.
This deterioration in the brain's ability to focus after performing tasks is known
as decision fatigue.
-- The fewer decisions you have to make, the less likely it is that you have to deal
with decision fatigue.
When and if
decision fatigue sets in, it's much easier to motivate yourself to take a power nap later on than it is to work.
Certainly, if humans suffer
from decision fatigue, no doubt dogs do too; and and three consequences come to my mind.
Long term travel — especially when you're hopping to a different city every week — can come with
major decision fatigue.
Penny explores this problem and offers some possible ways to
prevent decision fatigue while keeping mothers and babies in the center of care.
In the face of
constant decision fatigue, she views the mental component of a detox as equally important to the nutritional, if not more so.
And in the short term, too
much decision fatigue will cause mental burnout that renders impulse irresistible.
I had watched friends spiral
into decision fatigue after asking everyone for opinions, so I knew I didn't want to go there.
To
avoid decision fatigue... Trying to think about what you're going to eat all the time is exhausting, especially if you are new to a vegan / plant based diet.
Having a limited amount of clothing and accessories to choose from makes selecting an outfit a breeze, ensures what you wear is cozy and comfortable, and, because there are fewer options,
eliminates decision fatigue.
Further Reading: Portfolio Management &
Decision Fatigue What Do Low Interest Rates Mean for Stock Market Returns?
Kathleen Vohs and her team conducted a series of experiments into this and concluded that too many everyday choices can lead to
decision fatigue which consumes our capacity to make higher executive decisions and depletes initiative and self - control.
Read more about Tobel: This Entrepreneur Shares Her Surprising Secret to Fighting Decision Fatigue
Decision fatigue works against you by wearing you down until you no longer care about finding the best option — you just want to be done, so you settle for something that's only okay.
In a study where participants made a series of choices in buying a car — selecting colour, engine size, rust - proofing, trim level, etc. — it was found that the more choices that were made available, the more likely the default or recommended choice was selected
once decision fatigue set in.
Learning
about decision fatigue hasn't revolutionized my world, but it has encouraged me to schedule my heavy - thinking for early morning and, at the end of the day, consider putting off key decisions until the next morning.
It's a million moments like that one
creating decision fatigue and then I am not making big - picture decisions like, should I promote my Myers Briggs seminar on my homeschool blog?
Some entrepreneurs have found a unique way to
avoid decision fatigue: We remember Steve Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck and still see Mark Zuckerberg's range of gray T - shirts.
If we're asked to make too many decisions in a given day, then our ability to do so competently deteriorates — this is known
as decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue occurs when one is burdened by numerous decisions; the term refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual when under pressure to make numerous important decisions.
They say that having a uniform, an outfit recipe you turn to each day, is one way to
reduce decision fatigue (Vanessa, I'm looking at you).
Imagine how good it would feel to not think sometimes... After all, over-thinking is precisely what
causes decision fatigue — those times when it feels nearly impossible to make a good choice (like a collard green wrap over a gluten bun) because you're actually overwhelmed by choice.
Some successful people, such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, fashion designer Vera Wang, former president Obama, and author Gretchen Rubin have dealt preemptively
with decision fatigue by wearing pre-selected, repetitive outfits.
Editor's note: As you navigate a world of choices, revisit this 2011 magazine story on the paralyzing effects
of decision fatigue.