# Decision fatigue Taking too many decisions in a day is a bad idea. It leads to poor decisions that can negatively impact our personal and professional life. Taking decisions has a mental cost. Our [[Decision-making power]] depletes throughout the day. We have a limited budget each day. As we make decisions, we deplete our decision-making energy. The more decisions we make in a day, the harder it gets and the less we are able to make good calls (i.e., make good decisions). We also make less and less rational ones because of the emotional fatigue that decision fatigue is associated with. Every day, we make many unconscious decisions. Those don't require our attention and don't deplete our [[Decision-making power]]. But there are also many choices that we need to make consciously, that require attention and energy. We have to make choices about what to wear, what to do, how to deal with all sorts of issues at home and at work, etc. As the world becomes more complex, the number of decisions that we need to make increases, and they require more and more energy. Some decisions are more taxing than others. Sometimes we have to make decisions that will heavily impact our life, our family, or others. Such decisions can drain our energy for days, weeks, or even entire months. Some can be avoided, but some just can't. That's why we have to develop ways to protect ourselves against decision fatigue. Once our daily decision-making "budget" is depleted, we get into a mental state where our brains try to take shortcuts in order to alleviate the pain that making new decisions cause. We get fed up, and we feel worse and worse. Those shortcuts include making irrational decisions (e.g., purchasing something on a whim), making important decisions without pondering the pros and cons, or even tuning out, doing nothing, and pushing back decisions to another day (i.e., procrastinating). ## Related - [[How to fight against decision fatigue]] ## References - https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-decision-fatigue - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_fatigue - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/decision-fatigue - [[Decision-making power]] - [[Mental energy]] - [[How to fight against decision fatigue]]