Category: Theory

Stop decision fatigue
Decision fatigue is a psychological phenomenon that affects our ability to make quality decisions after a long series of choices. Just as our muscles tire, Roy Baumeister showed in the early 1990s that willpower can tire. The resulting mental slowness is often imperceptible.
Although often ignored, it can have significant consequences for our productivity, well-being and even our mental health.
This article explores how to identify this fatigue and suggests strategies to combat it.
What is decision fatigue?
Every day, we make thousands of decisions, both conscious and unconscious. These range from simple choices, such as what to eat, to complex decisions related to work or personal life. However, our brains have a limited capacity to process these choices. When we reach this limit, we fall victim to decision fatigue, which can lead to :
- Impulsive or irrational decision-making.
- An inability to choose, leading to procrastination.
- A decline in the quality of decisions made.
How do you identify decision fatigue?
Here are some common signs:
1. Difficulty making simple decisions: You hesitate for a long time over mundane choices, like what to eat or wear.
2. Increased procrastination: You postpone important decisions for lack of mental energy.
3. Irritability or frustration: You feel irritated by the need to make choices.
4. Impulsive decisions: You opt for the first option that presents itself, without thinking about the consequences.
How can you save mental energy?
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is a prime example of how to manage decision fatigue. He almost always wore the same outfit: a black turtleneck, jeans and sneakers. Why did he do this? To reduce the number of decisions he had to make every day. By eliminating clothing choices, he saved his mental energy for more important decisions, such as those related to Apple product design.
Other famous personalities, such as Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) and Barack Obama, have adopted similar strategies. Obama, for example, limited his clothing choices to gray or blue suits to focus on crucial presidential decisions.
How to combat decision fatigue?
Here are some practical strategies for reducing your impact:
1. Automate repetitive decisions
- Simplify your daily routine. For example, plan your meals in advance or adopt a minimalist wardrobe.
- Use tools like to-do lists or apps to organize your priorities.
- Visualize the actions you plan to take the next day. This way, when decisions come up, visualization automatically guides us towards the choice we made the day before.
2. Make the right decisions at the right time
- Identify your energy peaks, or chronotype, during the day (morning, afternoon or evening) and reserve these moments for crucial choices.
- Avoid making important decisions when you’re tired or stressed.
3. Limit distractions
- Reduce interruptions and concentrate on one task at a time. The fewer distractions you have, the more mental energy you’ll save.
4. Learn to delegate
- If possible, delegate certain decisions to other people or automate them. For example, delegate administrative tasks or use subscriptions for recurring purchases.
5. Take care of yourself
- Good nutrition, quality sleep and regular breaks are essential to recharge your brain and avoid mental overload.
To find out more…
Decision fatigue is a challenge we all face, but it can be managed with simple, effective strategies. By simplifying your daily life, planning your important decisions and taking care of your well-being, you can save your mental energy for what really matters. Sometimes, reducing trivial choices can unlock immense potential for the decisions that shape our future.
What about you? What’s your experience of decision fatigue? Share your experiences and strategies in the comments?
8 January 2025
How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly
Martin G. Moore in his article “How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly” on Harvard Business Review, explains how leaders can make effective, fast decisions to stand out and maximize their impact.
Here’s a summary of the 8 points he addresses.
1. Great decisions are shaped by diverse perspectives
To make an informed decision, it’s essential to consider many points of view. This doesn’t mean consulting everyone, but rather the right people, those with relevant expertise. These contributions can broaden your understanding of the problem and identify solutions you wouldn’t have considered on your own.
However, it’s important to structure these exchanges to avoid confusion or wasted time. A well-managed diversity of perspectives enriches the quality of the decision.
2. Major decisions are made closer to the action
Managers are often far removed from day-to-day operations, and risk missing crucial information. The best decisions are therefore made based on feedback from those directly involved in the work.
These employees, close to the action, have a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the field. By incorporating their feedback, you can avoid decisions that are out of touch with reality, and increase your chances of successful implementation.
3. Big decisions tackle the root cause, not just the symptoms
A poorly understood or solved problem tends to repeat itself. While symptoms sometimes need to be treated urgently to avoid immediate consequences, it’s crucial to get to the root of the problem. This requires in-depth analysis to identify the underlying causes.
For example, if a team regularly misses deadlines, it’s not enough to add resources or extend deadlines. We need to understand why this is happening: is it a problem of communication, skills, or poorly defined priorities?
Once the cause has been identified, a sustainable plan can be put in place.
4. Great decisions balance short- and long-term values
A good decision must strike the right balance between immediate benefits and long-term impacts. Focusing solely on the short term can solve a problem quickly, but at the expense of sustainability or overall strategy.
Conversely, focusing solely on the long term can slow down immediate progress and demotivate teams. For example, in a corporate context, it may be tempting to cut costs to improve the bottom line in the short term, but this could be detrimental to innovation or employee satisfaction in the long term.
The challenge is to assess the risks and opportunities of both time horizons, short and long term, to maximize overall value.
5. Big decisions are good decisions
Speed is of the essence in decision-making, but it must not compromise quality. Once the key elements (outlook, root causes, balance of priorities) have been taken into account, it’s important not to procrastinate.
Delayed decisions can lead to missed opportunities, inefficiencies or a loss of confidence on the part of teams.
Moore stresses the importance of a structured process and personal discipline to maintain a fast pace while remaining rigorous.
6. Big decisions involve compromise
Rarely does a decision satisfy all parties or achieve all objectives. Leaders must accept that there will be compromises to be made. This means prioritizing the most important elements and sacrificing some less critical aspects.
For example, a strategic decision might mean temporarily reducing the resources allocated to a secondary project in order to concentrate efforts on a key initiative.
The important thing is to clearly communicate these trade-offs to maintain transparency and stakeholder buy-in.
7. Major decisions are made with clarity and conviction
Once a decision has been made, it must be communicated clearly and convincingly.
Leaders need to explain not only what has been decided, but also why. This helps build team confidence and avoid misunderstandings.
Clear communication also helps to mobilize employees around the implementation of the decision, giving them a sense of direction and certainty.
8. Great decisions are followed by rigorous execution
Making a good decision is only the first step.
What distinguishes successful leaders is their ability to ensure that the decision is implemented effectively. This requires rigorous monitoring, adjustment if necessary, and evaluation of results.
Poor execution can turn a good decision into a failure.
Leaders must therefore remain involved in the process to ensure that the objectives set are achieved.
Going further
Martin G. Moore insists that effective decision-making is not about seeking general approval or pleasing everyone. Great decisions are distinguished by their ability to create value, solve problems sustainably and mobilize teams.
By applying these eight principles, leaders can stand out, strengthen their credibility and achieve significant results.
What about you? How do you optimize your decision-making process? Share your opinions, experiences and advices in the comments section!
Source : https://hbr.org/2022/03/how-to-make-great-decisions-quickly
1 January 2025
Why decision-making is the key skill of the modern leaders?
In an ever-changing world, where markets are transforming at breakneck speed and uncertainty has become the norm, one skill stands out as essential for modern leaders: decision-making.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an executive or a team leader, your ability to make effective, timely and strategic decisions can literally mean the difference between success and failure.
But why is this skill so crucial, now more than ever? And above all, how can you cultivate it to excel in demanding environments?
We’ll take a look at why this skill is essential, and then explore ways of improving it.
Decision-making: a key skill
Decision-making is not a simple administrative task or a mechanical reflex: it’s an art combining science, experience and courage. Modern leaders are judged not just on their ideas or vision, but on their ability to transform these ideas into concrete action, often within very tight deadlines.
How many times have you been faced with a situation where a decision had to be taken quickly, without all the necessary information, and where the consequences could be far-reaching?
It’s precisely at these moments that great leaders stand out. They know how to assess risks, weigh up options and, above all, take responsibility for their choices, even when the outcome is uncertain. In a world where data is ubiquitous, opinions abound and external pressures (customers, investors, employees) are constant, decision-making becomes a balancing act.
It’s not just about choosing the best option, but doing so with confidence, clarity and speed.
Why is this skill more important than ever?
1. Accelerating change: Economic, technological and social cycles are shortening. What worked yesterday may be obsolete tomorrow. Leaders must therefore be able to adapt quickly and make informed decisions in changing contexts.
2. Information overload: We live in an age where information is abundant, but clarity is sorely lacking. Leaders need to know how to sort, analyze and synthesize complex data to make relevant decisions.
3. The impact of decisions: In a globalized, interconnected world, every decision can have major repercussions, not only on the company, but also on employees, partners and even society as a whole. The responsibility of leaders is therefore immense.
4. The need to innovate: Modern leaders can’t just follow set patterns. They often have to make bold decisions, think outside the box and embrace uncertainty to innovate and stand out from the crowd.
How do you develop this essential skill?
The good news is that decision-making is a skill that can be trained and perfected. Here are a few ways in which you can do just that:
- Learn to deal with uncertainty: Accept that you’ll never have all the information. The aim is not to seek perfection, but to make the best possible decision with the available data, and to develop your experience to refine your intuition.
- Cultivate your intuition: Intuition is not a mystical gift, but the fruit of experience and learning. The more decisions you make, the more you hone your ability to anticipate outcomes.
- Surround yourself with the right people: the most effective leaders know how to rely on competent, diverse teams. They don’t hesitate to ask for advice, challenge ideas and collaborate to make informed decisions.
- Analyze your mistakes: Every decision, whether good or bad, is a learning opportunity. Take the time to look back at your past choices to understand what worked and what could have been improved.
- Make decisions quickly: Procrastination is the enemy of leadership. Even if a decision isn’t perfect, it’s often preferable to doing nothing. Modern leaders know that agility is a major asset.
Decision-making: a lever for your career
Mastering the art of decision-making will not only make you more effective in your current role, it will also position you as a trusted leader, capable of guiding your organization through the most complex challenges.
It’s a skill that inspires respect, strengthens your credibility and opens the door to new opportunities.
It’s more than just a technical skill: it’s a fundamental quality that defines modern leaders and enables them to successfully navigate a constantly changing world.
So, whether you’re at the start of your career or at the head of a thriving business, invest in this skill. It will be your best ally in meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
What about you? What’s your experience with decision-making? Have you developed any strategies or habits that have helped you excel in this area?
Share your thoughts, experiences and tips in the comments.
Together, we can learn from each other and continue to progress in this essential art.
18 December 2024