Making the right decision

Life in the modern world is difficult. Most of us long for a simpler life and even envy our forefathers, who didn’t have to worry about project deadlines, unfinished tasks, bullying managers, and so on.

But on the other hand, we are a blessed generation. We don’t have to toil hard, fight against the forces of nature, and worry about deadly diseases.

In fact, we make our lives complex. One of the prominent reasons for this complexity is the problem of choice. For instance, when it comes to having dinner, our grandparents had only two options: to eat or not to, whereas we can choose from cuisines from around the world. But the problem is that we get drowned by multiple choices as there are thousands of them at each turn.

What to wear? Which route to take to work? Where to park the car? What to have for lunch? Which series to watch? – are all the small and big decisions we need to make every day.

Tired of making decisions

First brought to public attention by social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, decision fatigue is a tangible reality in everyone’s life. Many feel their life sucked out at the end of the day after making decisions from dawn to dusk.

According to psychiatrist Dr MacLean, an average person makes thousands of decisions daily. Many decisions are unconscious, like navigating a busy street; some are conscious, like how to reply to that work email. But they chip away at our decision-making ability.

Slowly but surely, we step towards decision fatigue.

Consequences

So what happens when we reach decision fatigue? The first symptom is brain fog; your thinking lacks clarity. Thus the quality of your decisions falls dramatically.

Multiple researches have proven that biases creep in with decision fatigue. In a study conducted on Israeli prisoners, judges are less likely to award parole if the prisoners went to them in the afternoon when they are tired. This is the classic example of resorting to the safest choice when you are unable to decide.

Unfortunately, the side effects of decision fatigue do not end there. It causes people to get irritated, angry, and weary. Some procrastinate. Many even decide to not make any decisions. Worse, a few ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…’ the decision resulting in apocalyptic outcomes.

How to avoid

Here are some techniques you can use to avoid decision fatigue.

Automate simple decisions

We can easily automate non-consequential decisions. Pick out the office wear the day before, follow a set route to work, and so on. I pack a lunch to the office to avoid deciding what to have for lunch. It saves me at least half an hour of debating with my colleagues and a chunk of decision energy.

Create a routine

Routines free our brains from decision fatigue. With a set time for everything, we escape the burden of worrying about what to do and when. Take time to bake a routine that works for you.

Prioritize

Find out which decisions are the most important ones that day and wield your decision-making sword on them when it is the sharpest; that is, in the morning. As stated in the study earlier, our biases are lowest in the early hours. So practice making the most important decisions before your lunch break. Once the sword becomes blunt from fatigue, you can decide on the less consequential ones.

Have a personal philosophy for big decisions

Some problems tend to blindside us when we least expect them. It is easy to deal with if you have a personal value. One with a clear moral, and political ideology can use it as a touchstone for making the decision. For instance, if you are against a right-wing agenda of propagating hatred, you know better than to respond to racist and homophobic comments from its leaders.

Delegate decisions

Most importantly, we don’t have to make all the decisions ourselves. Many can be outsourced. Unimportant ones can be passed down in the hierarchy. Critical decisions can be escalated up the ladder.

Happy decision making

The challenge our generation faces is not of scarcity, but of abundance. The complex task of picking out the best one from the tsunami of choices makes life hard.

But with discipline and focus we can free ourselves from this burden. Let these techniques guide you in making the best decisions this year.

Happy New Year!