Monday, December 04, 2023

Decision Fatigue



We make decisions every day, but we don't often think about the toll those decisions have on us. Deciding between too many options will drain our mental capacity, as will making momentous decisions that we might regret, or making too many small decisions. But we can do things to reduce that cognitive load, like recognizing the triviality of small decisions and not stressing about a decision after the fact.  

A household disaster led to the loss of my bedroom wallpaper. Just thinking about the difficulty of finding the perfect wallpaper to replace it, and the hassle of looking for it made me decide to paint the walls, therefore simplifying everything. I can always paper later if I want.

This TED-Ed lesson on decision fatigue explains the concept and gives us more advice on how to reduce the stress of making decisions in our everyday lives.

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