A case of decision fatigue
Too many decisions can lead to recklessness — or doing nothing
After some surprise news from our landlord a few weeks ago, I’m suffering from a serious case of decision fatigue. Searching for a new home in a tight timeframe in Seattle’s impossibly competitive housing market has meant days of weighing many small decisions, comparing square feet (apples) to outdoor space (oranges) to kitchen counter space (bananas). And then trying to pile them all together into that jumbled cornucopia called Tradeoffs. The mental depletion is real.
Yes, at the close of another unpromising week, I remind myself that it’s part of the process and that with each elusive, closed door, we are (hopefully) one step closer to holding the keys to a door that opens to us — our new front door.
But still, it’s got me thinking about decision making, and if there are ways to weather it better, or to make it less arduous when it comes to self-directed projects. So I did some digging.
John Tierney’s piece “Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue?” is a comprehensive look at what psychologists have learned about the relationship between decision making and willpower. When we’ve maxed out our decision-making capacity, mental exhaustion can lead to reckless choices. Or it can lead to just doing … nothing. Either of which could have potential bad outcomes.
Social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister’s research offers some basic guides to better decision making. “Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low,” he says.
The best decision makers are the ones who know when not to trust themselves.
– Roy F. Baumeister
Tierney writes, “That’s why the truly wise don’t restructure the company at 4 p.m. They don’t make major commitments during the cocktail hour. And if a decision must be made late in the day, they know not to do it on an empty stomach. ‘The best decision makers,’ Baumeister says, “are the ones who know when not to trust themselves.’”
All good, sturdy advice — the kind you could imagine our parents probably could have told us.
And one added thought — it’s a departure from pragmatics and there’s no study behind it, but I think it could work well in creative work (though probably not sure useful for a housing search? Dunno.). Consider this suggestion from Gina Pell (who conceived of the appealing idea of the all-ages Perennial to replace the cliched generation classifications like Boomer, Gen Xer, Millennial, etc): At a conference in Orlando, Pell told the audience, “Instead of thinking about what you’re going to do next, think about what makes you curious. And then follow that.”
I’m not saying curiosity can cure decision fatigue. Sometimes, you just need to slog through all the choices and make a call. Recover as best you can in the aftermath.
But for other types of decisions — those sticking, stuck ones — shifting from the blank of “what’s next?” to the interest of “what am I curious about?” could be the unlock you are looking for.
