Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine
62 | DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Decisions
What is decision fatigue and how can we better navigate life’s essential versus superfluous tasks?
Our attention has been pulled in so many directions this year. We have been bombarded by the media, along with balancing our personal and professional lives, during a global upheaval. It’s draining, to say the least.
I was speaking with a friend the other day, explaining how I was more exhausted now, working from home in lockdown, than ever before. I wondered how that was possible during a time where the most movement I had to navigate was from the bedroom to the kitchen, to the living room, and back again? These curiosities about my current wave of exhaustion led me to do some investigative research, and I stumbled upon a concept called ''decision fatigue.’'
Decision fatigue is backed by the scientific fact that during a 24 hour day, our brains only have so much mental capacity for cognitive tasks. Like any muscle, it gets tired, and we can't make continuous decisions without our focus deteriorating.
Most of the decisions we make are inherently unimportant, like how many times a day do we check our email, or absentmindedly scroll social media, even if just for a minute? What was the last decision you made, consciously or subconsciously? Did the outcome of it fill your life with productivity and happiness? The reality is, probably not.
It isn't that we don't make important decisions; it’s that we make so many unimportant ones, which drain the attention we need to reserve for the necessary ones. The inconsequential choices of the last decision you made—pants or shorts, walk or bike, read or sleep—led to a loss of energy for the more significant life tasks because the act of decision-making, even when small, contributes to decision fatigue.
Luckily, there are strategies to keep decision fatigue at bay. When navigating an ever-evolving to-do list, we need to be clear when and where we're focusing our energy—so we have the stamina for what matters.
“When navigating an everevolving to-do list, we need to be clear when and where we're focusing our energy— so we have the stamina for
what matters.”