By Brian St. Reviewed by Pierre, MS, RD
We all make thousands of decisions every day, big and small.
What will we have for breakfast? To exercise or not to exercise – or when. First, which project to deal with at work. More coffee or not.
After a while, it’s natural for decision fatigue to set in.
Decision fatigue can happen to anyone—but it’s especially frustrating when you’re trying to change old habits and make new (healthy) choices but run out of steam by 10 AM.
Let’s take a closer look at what decision fatigue is, what causes it, and how to overcome it so you can continue to make good, deliberate choices.
What is decision fatigue anyway?
It indicates weakness of decision After a long period of decision making, the quality of decisions is deteriorating. Decision fatigue can also occur when faced with too many choices.
When working toward health goals, mental fatigue from constant decision-making can hinder your ability to make positive choices, especially in areas like exercise and diet. Constant evaluation of your exercise schedules, food choices, and other lifestyle and daily activities can lead to decision fatigue.
Signs of decision fatigue
Decision fatigue can be defined in many ways. It may last days, weeks or longer.
Here are six common symptoms you may experience.
Sign #1: Procrastination and avoiding decisions
One of the main symptoms of decision fatigue is procrastination and a tendency to make choices. When decision fatigue sets in, you may find it difficult to initiate or conclude decision-making processes, leading to delays and lack of action.
Sign #2: Stiffness
On the other hand, decision fatigue can also be described as stubbornness. In an effort to speed up decision-making and ease mental stress, you can make spontaneous choices, increasing the likelihood of taking less focused actions.
Symptom #3: Fatigue
Fatigue often leads to mental fatigue. You may feel fatigued and mentally fatigued, which can affect your overall cognitive function and energy levels.
Symptom #4: Brain fog
A common symptom of decision fatigue is a feeling of “brain fog.” This thought cloud can hinder clarity of thought, making it difficult for individuals to focus, process information, and make wise choices.
Sign #5: Overcrowding
As decision fatigue accumulates, individuals can easily become overwhelmed by even minor choices. Tasks that would normally be manageable can seem overwhelming, contributing to high stress levels.
Sign #6: Frustration
Increased decision fatigue can lead to frustration and emotional reactions. The mental stress of continuous decision-making can affect an individual’s patience and tolerance, resulting in reactive emotional responses.
What causes decision fatigue?
A combination of factors can contribute to decision fatigue.
Reason #1: You’re always making decisions.
When you make so many decisions throughout the day, from choosing what to wear to deciding on work-related tasks, you can be prone to decision fatigue.
The cumulative effect of these daily choices overwhelms your cognitive resources, making subsequent decisions more challenging.
Reason #2: You make a lot of decisions that affect other people.
Decisions that have a significant impact on others contribute to decision fatigue.
The mental burden becomes stronger as your choices carry weight and affect those around you. Balancing personal and professional responsibilities that affect others can lead to a heightened sense of responsibility and decision-related stress.
Reason #3: You make stressful or complicated decisions.
Engaging in particularly stressful or complex decision-making can accelerate decision fatigue.
Evaluating complex situations, especially under pressure, requires more cognitive resources, accelerating mental fatigue. High-level decisions increase the pressure on your mental energy, making subsequent choices more taxing.
Reason #4: You are experiencing a difficult or uncertain life situation.
Life situations characterized by difficulty or uncertainty exacerbate decision fatigue.
Dealing with unusual and stressful challenges, both personal and professional, uses up mental bandwidth. Navigating uncertainty increases decision-related stress, amplifying the effects of decision fatigue.
How does decision-making fatigue relate to your health and well-being?
Decisions related to diet, exercise, and overall health management can be overwhelming.
Constantly evaluating food choices, physical activity, and health-related decisions can challenge cognitive resources, exacerbating decision fatigue.
Additionally, when you experience decision fatigue, your ability to make careful, proactive health decisions is diminished. Fatigue can lead to unhealthy choices, such as impulsive eating or skipping exercise, that can affect progress toward your goals.
How to overcome decision fatigue
Overcoming decision fatigue may not be instant, but by following these tips, you can significantly reduce its impact on your health and well-being.
All it takes is careful planning and learning to let go.
Strategy #1: Eliminate choice in areas of your life where you can.
Deliberately simplifying everyday decisions will not only simplify your life, but also increase your awareness for more meaningful and beneficial choices.
One approach is to set routines to set certain aspects of your daily life in stone – no resolutions required. This deliberate structuring (eg predetermining which days/times you will exercise) serves to reduce the need for continuous decision-making in these areas.
Implementing routines provides a psychological framework that turns repetitive decisions into automatic actions. For example, following a regular weekly meal plan.
Of course, this strategy is especially useful for repetitive activities, where predetermined choices can be consistently applied. This act of eliminating deliberate choices gives you a sense of control and predictability in your daily life.
Strategy #2: Delegate where you can.
Whether at work or at home, delegating decisions to others not only eases your intellectual (and practical) burden, but also encourages collaboration.
Distributing tasks at work fosters shared responsibility—and actually lightens your workload. By involving team members in decision-making processes, they not only benefit from different perspectives, but also encourage others to contribute their expertise.
Similarly, within a family or household, devolution of responsibilities not only promotes sharing of the cognitive load but also fosters a more supportive environment. This system allows each family member to contribute their unique strengths, creating a more balanced distribution of decision-making responsibilities.
Strategy #4: Prioritize relaxing activities.
Recreational activities are particularly effective in combating the effects of decision fatigue.
Quality sleep restores cognitive functions and replenishes mental energy. If you are well-rested, you will be ready to face the challenges of decision-making.
In addition to sleep, try engaging in mindfulness practices such as meditation or deep breathing exercises.
In addition to promoting better sleep, exercise also releases endorphins, which elevate mood and improve cognitive function.
Strategy #5: Practice stress management and self-care.
Stress and decision fatigue are linked, so learning to manage the former can help alleviate the symptoms of the latter.
Many of the relaxation techniques we mentioned earlier are also great stress management strategies.
Try establishing a consistent self-care routine, such as reading, taking a warm bath, or spending quality time with loved ones. These activities provide mental rest and contribute to positive thinking, which in turn, helps prevent and reduce decision fatigue.
Strategy #6: Work with a coach.
By hiring a coach, you effectively delegate certain decisions to a professional.
Using their knowledge, you’ll not only streamline your decision-making, but you’ll gain valuable insights and support on your journey to better health.
A health coach provides guidance on fitness, nutrition, sleep, stress and recovery, and can design customized plans to help you improve each of these areas.
Moreover, a health coach helps in planning daily activities, which contributes to removing unnecessary decisions from your daily life.
Working with a coach provides personalized support, helps you navigate health-related decisions, and increases accountability and motivation.
We are here to help you reach your goals
At Precision Nutrition, our coaches are certified professionals who can help you make positive decisions to improve your life. Decision fatigue ends with us as each client receives a personalized, customized plan designed to work with their personal preferences, lifestyle and goals.
Learn more about how the coaches at Precision Nutrition can help you live a healthier, more balanced life.
