Countering ‘Decision Fatigue’
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Tips and Tricks
Countering ‘Decision Fatigue’
Some studies suggest adults make, on average, 35,000 decisions a day. We’ve heard the phrase “decision fatigue,” which suggests that the more decisions we make, the harder it becomes to make good decisions or any decision at all.
Tack on stress, anxiety, and exhaustion, and our focus slows down productivity. All of this taxes our frontal lobe—the part of the brain responsible for expressive language and higher-level executive functions, like planning, organizing, and initiative. Planning out or structuring our days in a more purposeful manner first thing in the morning can lessen the burden on our brains and prevent decision fatigue.
Consider block-scheduling your day, even where much of it may be spoken for, in order to pre-decide what you will accomplish. Allow a chunk of time in the morning to focus on the most thought intensive projects (research, brief writing, privilege logs, etc.). Carve out a chunk of time each day to “task-batch,” or address those tasks that will take 20 minutes or those that will take 5 minutes (respond to specific emails, outline an article or presentation, etc.); grouping similar tasks together creates efficiencies. Build in time for routine tasks and leave the less thought-provoking activities for the afternoon.
As it turns out, our brain cares less about how we’re going to accomplish an undone task, and more about when we’re going to accomplish it. Simply put, we can relieve that stress and increase focus on the task at hand by better planning out our days.
This Wellness Tip was brought to you by the Quality of Life Subcommittee of the Primerus Quality Assurance Board and Featured Contributor Nicole Quintana. We also welcome your tips, which can be submitted to Paige Neirman at pneirman@primerus.com for publication consideration.