Willpower. When asked why people don’t make healthy or productive choices, most people respond, “I don’t have enough willpower.” James Clear, author of the book, Atomic Habits, explains that willpower doesn’t quite work that way. Instead, the small decisions we make throughout the day impact “the willpower you have for important choices.”The lack of willpower resulting from making many small decisions is known as decision fatigue. According to an article by Medical News Today, “Decision fatigue is the idea that after making many decisions, a person’s ability to make additional decisions becomes worse.”
Right now, we are suffering from decision fatigue.
On a normal day (i.e. pre-pandemic), we make approximately 35,000 decisions. However, this pandemic has multiplied the number of decisions we make each day because now we are making decision about things that we’ve never had to make decisions about before such as wiping down groceries, social distancing, and touching door handles (although if you’ve ever been an elementary school teacher, you don’t do this anyway. You know where those little hands “might” have been!).
We are exhausted from making decisions. Our brains are tired and the energy we need to make important decisions is depleted. As a result, we overeat, shop impulsively, binge on Netflix or do whatever it takes to escape making One. More. Decision.
Just last week, I told my husband, “Look, you’re going to have to go to the grocery store with me because I literally do not have the energy to make a decision about which cereal we are going to buy this week.”
That, my friends, is decision fatigue.
So, how do we begin to combat decision fatigue so that we can give our BEST YES to the most important decisions?
Here are some things that I’ve done, and I hope they will be helpful to you as well:
1. Make simple decisions as far in advance as possible. I had a suite mate in college who wrote down what she was wearing every day on a calendar, right down to the headband and shoes. While I appreciated her organization then, it wasn’t until years later that I realized how valuable this process could be in fighting decision fatigue. For me, this looks like filling out my planner every Sunday night for the whole week. And, like my suite mate, I also have a calendar hanging in my closet that has the pre-selected outfit for each day of the month. I lay out my outfit the night before so that’s one less decision I’m making the next day.
2. Delegate decisions that someone else can make. Many times, we think we have to make every decision that comes our way. The reality is that we can make the decision to delegate our decisions to someone else.
In my planner, I split my note taking page into two columns: “What I Do” and “What They Do.” I list all of the things that need to be done (or decided upon) under “What I Do” and then start moving tasks to the “What They Do” column. Eventually, I end up with a list of decisions and tasks that ONLY I can do. And, they end up with opportunities to be leaders, operate in their gifts, and serve others.
3. Take time to rest from decision making both daily and on the weekends. Recently, I made a big decision to give my brain a break from making decisions during the day. Instead of rushing through lunch like I normally would, I’ve started shutting my door, turning on my lamps, and giving myself just a few minutes to do something that does not require my brain to do any “heavy lifting,” such as reading a few pages out of a book.
The benefits are amazing! I feel refreshed and ready to go after just a simple brain break, and I ultimately get more done because I haven’t completely depleted my decision-making resources.
On the weekends, I’ve become more intentional about doing what refreshes my soul and making as few decisions as possible, except the ones that bring me joy.
If we are going to lead where we are, we have to start making BIG decisions about SMALL things to combat mental fatigue and bolster the energy we need to give our BEST YES to the things that matter most.
