You make decisions every day. When to wake up, what to wear, what to eat, where to shop, which item to buy, which service to subscribe to, etc. And even when you’re trying to unwind, you must decide what show to watch on Netflix. Should I binge watch this show? Should I stay up this late? We sleep and wake up to the same cycle of decision making.
Decision fatigue is the idea that after making many decisions, a person’s ability to make additional decisions becomes worse. As the day progresses and we make more decisions, the quality of our decisions declines. Our prefrontal cortex is responsible for making sound decisions, and, like a muscle, it gets fatigued. Think of your prefrontal cortex like a battery; it loses power the more you use it.
When we waste our precious prefrontal cortex power on basic decisions like what to wear, we are taking away brain space for deep work and creativity. It takes roughly two minutes to decide what to wear in the morning. Over a year, that’s 12 hours of time. Steve Jobs was famously known for wearing one signature outfit; he did this to reduce decision fatigue and to allow himself to be productive in the areas that mattered most.
I am someone who tends to have my best “deep work” brain time in the mid-morning before having to decide what’s for dinner. I have found that providing structure to my daily decisions automates a portion of my life, leaving my brain with space to write or come up with yoga sequences. However, on days where I have multiple decisions to make, I find it harder to be creative or even make a simple decision like what to wear.
Automating or creating specific routines for part of your life relieves decision fatigue. It’s one of the reasons morning and/or evening routines are practiced by successful individuals. Life is inevitably unpredictable, but eliminating doubt on specific decisions creates mental space to deal with the unexpected. Automating may seem rigid or even boring; however, if you find yourself consumed by a basic decision like what to order at a restaurant, you are depleting your ability to make a sound decision as the day progresses.
Creating a personal “hack” for making decisions allows you to have less to think about or question. Perhaps you always wear the same outfit or same color scheme. Maybe you choose to always order the first or second salad when dining at a restaurant. Or you decide to set an alarm every hour to drink a small glass of water.
Automating or habit-creating happens in another region of the brain, the basal ganglia. This is where we make decisions without having to think about them. It’s where we store habits. Thus, creating positive habits allows you to save the prefrontal cortex battery. Sticking to a specific routine in your day allows for your brain space to replenish as you think less and less about the routine you’ve created. It provides you with the ability to think about the project you are working on or the party you are planning.
When in doubt, simply and quickly make a decision. Alex Korb, Ph.D., author of The Upward Spiral, a novel highlighting ways to reduce depression, says, “When everything is up in the air, the amygdala becomes more reactive. So, if you tend to worry, reduce your options and make quick decisions whenever possible. As soon as you make a decision, however small, everything starts to feel more manageable.” Deciding between chicken or fish at the restaurant isn’t going to make or break your day. Don’t waiver; just choose and deal with the consequences. Make decisions and take action.
