Recently there was news that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, does not make important decisions after 17:00. He believes that he is not conscious enough to make an informed choice. At first glance, this may seem like an eccentric solution. However, the reasons may be deeper than you think. A person's ability to control their own behavior is not unlimited, a reboot can end in exhaustion. Like physical fatigue after effort, every choice a person makes consumes some of the internal resources that can no longer be used to process information, reason about problems and therefore make decisions.
When a person makes a choice, he consumes the resources that he has and runs out of every day. In this sense, decision fatigue takes on the role of an indicator of the depletion of a person's internal resources.
- What are the symptoms of decision fatigue
- What consumes human mental resources during the day
- What can be done to reduce the feeling of fatigue from
decision-making What are the symptoms of decision fatigue
Of the most obvious consequences of
decision fatiguedecision-making is the inability to compromise and consider the options available. The person adopts a passive attitude towards any new situation where he has to make a decision, making choices that may seem impulsive or irrational.
Decision fatigue can manifest itself in a person with the following symptoms:He adopts avoidant behaviors such as procrastination or passivity, which can paradoxically lead to a decision not to make a decision;
He tends to make choices automatically, without carefully evaluating the available options;
He has an impulsive or explosive reaction, because in the- state of fatigue emotions are perceived more intensely. In other words, in the eyes of a person, what would be a simple nuisance can turn into a real problem;
Has difficulty concentrating, making it impossible to focus on one task or listening to others;
Deteriorates performance when performing tasks, especially intellectual ones;
To solve problems, heuristics and general rules are used to a greater extent. Without delving into the situation, this can lead to skewed elections and undesirable results;
Has a low tolerance for physical endurance situations such as standing or maintaining proper posture;
Feels difficulty in determining what outcome he wants from the selection;
Feels unable to follow through with decision making process, as if trapped;
Shows a marked increase in indecision with frequent rethinking- of decisions already made. What consumes human mental resources during the day
As mentioned, having to make decisions during the day is one of the
main causes of fatigue. This aspect is especially important in a series of professions that require high levels of concentration, such as the medical profession.
Maintaining self-controlThe more a person has to control and regulate their behavior, the more likely they are to experience decision fatigue. Examples are the need to keep attention on a particular task for a long time, or the need to modulate one's emotions and thoughts. The reason is that maintaining self-control and making decisions consume the same internal resources, resulting in faster exhaustion.
Time of dayWhile not directly related to decision fatigue, the time of day can affect fatigue levels. As the day progresses, people become unable to resist temptations and may engage in unethical behavior such as lying.
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Lack of sleep increases the likelihood that it will be difficult to make decisions. Sleep-deprived people are less flexible in reasoning, lose creativity, have difficulty concentrating, or become drawn into unnecessary details of a situation. They rely too much on already known strategies and report memory problems. Not surprisingly, these elements are key
aspects of the decision-making process. What can be done to reduce decision fatigue
While election fatigue is a natural occurrence, it is true that we face a number of situations today where there are far more choices to be made than in the past. Just think about how many times we have to choose whether to respond to messages, call, emails, the amount of information we receive, choose whether we should pay attention to it.
mitigating the effects of fatigue from decision-making:
Make important decisions in the morning. Mental resources at the highest level of functionality in the first hours of wakefulness and improve the ability to decide.
Sort the need for a decision in terms of priorities. Determine the choices that need to be made based on their personal importance and the impact they can have on life. The most important ones are those that interest us the most and those that can have long-term consequences. It is they who need to devote time, for everyone else - it is useful to choose the simplest option so as not to consume too many mental resources.
Change your diet and make sure your brain has the right supply of sugar. Many studies have shown that a deficiency in blood sugar increases the likelihood of impulsivity and lead to poor cognitive skills.
Keep a balanced view of results. Avoiding perfectionism is critical to making quick decisions. If you strive for perfection, you will probably end up increasing your own sense of frustration.
Create a program that eases the number of decisions that must be made in one day. For example, set days for your most important activities (gym, friends, hobbies) and stick to them.
If possible, try to reduce your options to two alternatives.- In conclusion,
is a common phenomenon underlying many impulsive actions and not meaningful decisions. However, by identifying the symptoms of fatigue in time and taking them under control, a person is able to optimize his resources, contributing to daily well-being.
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