Do you ever get the feeling, after a busy day at work or running around after children, or both, that if you’re asked to make another decision your brain might just explode? It’s sometimes the reason why having to decide what’s for dinner can be a step too far.
Well, it turns out it’s a real phenomenon – it’s called decision fatigue.
READ MORE:
20 Ways To Declutter Your Home And Destress Your Life
8 Ways To Look After Your Mental Health At Work
7 Ways To Beat Burnout At Work
According to experts at Florida State University, it’s the reason so many normally logical, rational people end up making silly, snap decisions when things end up in the “too hard” basket.
We’re lacking the mental energy for our brain to go through the convoluted process it has to negotiate each time it has to make a decision, so it starts taking shortcuts instead. Either we make a rash decision, because it’s quicker, or we fail to make any decision at all.
A series of controlled tests took place with participants in a series of decision-testing situations: grocery buying at the supermarket, bargain hunting at shopping malls, and weighing up which car to buy at a car dealership.
The evidence was easy to see: we have a finite amount of brain space dedicated to making decisions – so use the brainspace early on, for the decisions that matter. Here are six ways to curb decision fatigue and feel less stressed:
