Decision Fatigue: Definition, Causes, & How to Avoid It

What Is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue isn’t a diagnosis, but rather a term—first formulated by Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, and Tice—explaining the instances in which a person becomes depleted after making too many decisions in a period of time.^{1, 2}. When drained in this way, a person’s choices can become poorer and impulsive, or a person can end up not making any choices in general.¹

In work fields such as healthcare that are filled with constant complex decisions, decision fatigue is especially common.¹ People with chronic health conditions are also faced with many daily decisions in regard to health management, which can in-turn increase the chance of decision fatigue.¹ In general, people who are constantly having to make one decision after another may at some point experience decision fatigue.

Symptoms of Decision Fatigue

If you are feeling psychologically drained from making decisions, and notice that you are  avoiding making future choices, turning to a default type decision, or making poor decisions, there is a chance you could be experiencing symptoms of decision fatigue.¹

Symptoms of decision fatigue may include:³

• Increase in negative emotions
• Feeling mentally drained
• Weakened judgment
• Decreased interest in making a decision
• Impulsively making decisions
• Procrastinating making a decision

Examples of Decision Fatigue

There is only so much mental energy a person has that they can utilize before decision fatigue might occur, especially if they have exhausted their mental energy. Generally, this condition  is reported to happen after a person has had many difficult decisions to make, usually without many breaks between decisions.⁴

Examples of everyday decision fatigue include:

• Making caretaking decisions throughout the day
• Making financial decisions back-to-back
• Making decisions about meals to make daily
• Making complex decisions at home, work, and/or school

Risk Factors for Decision Fatigue

The likelihood of decision fatigue appears to increase with the volume of decisions a person has to make and the number of complex decisions being made. If your day consists of something similar, you could have an increased risk of experiencing decision fatigue.⁴

Risk factors for decision fatigue:

• Making very significant decisions
• Making many/multiple decisions back to back
• Making decisions under pressure
• Making decisions while distressed
• Making decisions for others (ex. Caretaking)

Effects of Decision Fatigue in Daily Life

Experiencing decision fatigue can lead to a person not having the energy to make any more decisions right away; avoiding making a decision altogether; picking a decision just to get it over with; and possibly doing an inadequate job making a decision. In some instances, decision fatigue can also be a precursor for burnout.⁴

Possible effects of decision fatigue include:

Decision Avoidance

When a person experiences decision fatigue, they might resort to avoiding making any decision at all. In turn, this can lead to the person ultimately having less options to choose from later on.¹ Avoidance Behavior can become problematic, as it isn’t actually the best strategy to decrease decision fatigue.

Impulse Decisions

When someone is experiencing decision fatigue they might also become impulsive with the decisions they make, as they are far too exhausted to truly stop and thoroughly evaluate each option. Thus, they may make a poor decision as a result.¹

Procrastinating

Procrastination is similar to avoidance. However, in this case, the decision fatigue has drained the person to the point at which they would rather try and postpone making a decision than do so. This is especially detrimental for time-sensitive decisions.¹

5 Ways to Avoid Decision Fatigue

While decision fatigue can be challenging, the good news is that you can try things to help decrease the likelihood of it occurring again. Try to delegate some decisions, take breaks between decisions, practice mindfulness (and other healthy coping mechanisms), and try to decrease the amount of decisions per day.⁴

Here are five tips for avoiding decision fatigue: ⁴

1. Decrease the Number of Decisions

You can do this by lowering the number of smaller decisions you make throughout the day. Pick out outfits the day prior, so you don’t have to spend time choosing what to wear in the morning. Or, try making food ahead of time, so you do not have to choose something new to cook every meal.

2. Take Breaks

Giving your mind time to recharge and rest–even for a little bit–might help you feel less overwhelmed and drained by the next decision that you have to make. To take a break, you can simply go out and get some air, move your body, take a quick nap, meditate for a couple of minutes, or try something else that is relaxing.

3. Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness can help one ground themselves to the present moment, and release worry about past and future decisions.

4. Make Lists

Creating a to-do type list and knowing exactly what you need to focus on can also be helpful in overcoming decision fatigue, as breaking down big decisions into smaller, actionable items can help. It can feel rewarding to cross off items from said list, too.

5. Delegate

Sometimes there are just too many decisions to be made. If there is someone else who can take on some of the burden, it could be worth asking them to do so. Then, the amount of stress on you decreases, as you won’t be doing all of the decision making on your own. Making joint decisions with a partner who shares in the responsibility (like a coworker or partner) can also alleviate some of the stress.

Can Therapy Help?

If you notice that your decision fatigue is ongoing, bringing about more stress in your life, or you’re constantly worried about the consequences of your choices, therapy could be worth a try. This allows you to explore your stressors with a professional, and see how they can help you cope with this phenomenon. If this sounds like a fit for you, make time to choose a good therapist and reach out to them to see how they can be of assistance.

Final Thoughts

Decision fatigue can happen to anyone. Although it can be draining and challenging, there are ways to overcome it and decrease the chance of experiencing it again. Ultimately though, if it is having a negative effect on your life, consider reaching out to a professional to get some assistance.