Decision Fatigue: Definition, Examples, and Recovery

What Is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue is the exhaustion felt from making too many difficulties. When we have too many choices throughout the day we can eventually burn ourselves out. Making even the smallest of decisions can feel overwhelming and we make worse decisions because of the exhaustion.  

For example, by the end of the day, a hiring manager is going to be exhausted from making decisions all day and might dismiss a perfectly qualified candidate because of decision fatigue. 

Decision fatigue is not a diagnosable mental health condition, but it is a common phenomenon that can affect mental health. 

Signs you’re experiencing decision fatigue include:

• Feeling mentally overwhelmed: You might feel like you’ll snap at the next person who asks you to make a decision. 
• Difficulty making even small choices: At the end of a long work day, the question “where do you want to eat” can feel impossible. 
• Procrastinating on making decisions altogether: When you have decision fatigue, you might stop making decisions altogether by procrastinating. 
• Increased irritability, impatience, or frustration: You snap at people who ask you for your opinion or yell at your partner to "just make a decision, I don’t care!” 
• “Giving in” to the easiest option: You’re tired of considering all the angles, so you choose the first decent-looking option you can. 
• Overthinking choices: On the opposite side of the spectrum, you might worry over one decision for hours, unable to make a good decision. 
• Brain fog: Your brain feels full of mush, and your thoughts are sluggish when you’re brain fogged. 
• Feeling emotionally numb: You stop caring about things because caring about them means making a decision.  
• Lower motivation to chase goals: You just want to be left alone and not have to make any more decisions. 
• Poor judgment when making decisions: You don’t just have a harder time making decisions; your decision-making ability is actually reduced. 
• Physical fatigue, headaches, or tension: You might feel it in your head, back, or shoulders. Anywhere you carry tension. 
• Craving comfort and convenience: You start binge-eating cookies and an old comfort show, because those easily gratifying things don’t require any decisions.

Decision fatigue can be a sign of burnout, which is a deeper issue related to overall exhaustion and stress. 

Decision Fatigue and ADHD

People with ADHD may be more likely to experience decision fatigue. Often called “task paralysis” or “decision paralysis”, people with ADHD have a hard time making and committing to decisions. 

Decisions are made primarily in our pre-frontal lobe by our executive functions. This is one of the parts of the brain that ADHD affects the most. Difficulty with decision making, prioritizing, and emotional regulation are all common traits of ADHD. 

Decision Fatigue Examples

Decision Fatigue is more likely to happen when you’re faced with highly stressful decisions. For example, decisions that:

• Involve others
• Are irreversible
• Cost a lot financially
• Will have a large impact  
• Are emotionally charged

This is why CEOs, teachers, and other people who are in charge of leading others frequently have decision fatigue. 

Some examples of decision fatigue include:

• You’re going through a divorce and are exhausted with all the decisions you have to make. Not only are there a lot of decisions to be made, but they are also all emotionally charged, have big life impacts, rely on others, and potentially cost a lot financially. 
• Falling back into bad habits like ordering takeout and watching TV show reruns after a hard day of work because you can’t fathom making another decision about what to cook for dinner.
• Putting off responding to personal text messages because you spent all day responding to high-stress work emails. 
• Going online shopping for someone’s birthday, but abandoning everything in your cart because you can’t decide whether to buy it or not. 
• Choosing the easiest option instead of the healthiest or the one most aligned with your values because you’re tired. 
• A judge tends to make harsher decisions right before their lunch break, because they’re tired of making decisions all day.

Decision fatigue can have big and small impacts on people’s lives. When you’re in charge of others or when your decisions impact others, it can have even life-changing impacts. 

How Do You Recover from Decision Fatigue

If you’re tired of staring at another menu, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of choosing something, follow these steps to recover from decision fatigue:

• Cut down on your decision-making: Where you can, don’t make decisions. Rely on pre-established decisions or good habits. 
• Build a routine: Let your brain fall back on a healthy routine during the day, so you don’t have to decide what to do after work every day, you just do it. 
• Have less stuff: Trim your wardrobe to just the essentials, wear the same shoes every day, and generally cut down on decisions by reusing items when possible. 
• Meal plan and Meal prep: Cut down on decisions by having a pre-established menu prepared beforehand.
• Make “decision windows”: A time period where you make all your decisions like responding to emails and text messages. 
• Make small decisions quickly: If it doesn’t have a big impact, don’t dwell on it. 
• Delegate decision-making to others: You don’t have to make all the decisions yourself. Find others you trust and allow them to make decisions as well. 
• Prioritize healthy habits: Habits like good sleep quality, healthy eating, and good exercise will help you make better decisions without getting burnt out. 
• Make time for fun: Not everything has to be a big deal. Make time for play, hobbies, and times where it doesn’t matter what you decide because there’s no wrong answer. 

Decision fatigue is not usually chronic. When it is, you might be experiencing Burnout, Anxiety, or Depression. Talking to a therapist about mental health therapy can help you recover from decision fatigue. 

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