Making Timely Smart Decisions

Researchers observed a group of judges in 2011 while they made decisions about whether or not to grant parole to inmates. It would make sense for factors like the offence committed, the prisoner's current term, and their conduct to take precedence. However, one factor had a surprisingly big impact when those specifics were thoroughly investigated: the time of day. Even though their offenses and sentences were nearly identical, prisoners who met with the board in the morning had a considerably higher chance of being granted parole than those whose cases were evaluated in the afternoon. Although this result may appear odd, the researchers explained it simply: the judges were probably tired in the afternoon. They were specifically suffering from decision fatigue. This level of mental fatigue happens after a lengthy time of deliberation and may cause people to become less confident and more impulsive in their decision-making. Not only can decision fatigue be dangerous in high-stakes situations like this study, but it may also seriously affect our daily lives. What decisions then get us to this point, and how can we combat fatigue? Energy is used by our body for all physical and mental functions. Although the precise resources that are used up when under mental stress are unknown, research has shown that many people appear to have a daily threshold for decision-making. When that barrier is reached, the majority of people consciously decide to "take it easy" and put off thinking carefully about any upcoming decisions for another day. Several factors, such as the frequency, complexity, and novelty of the decisions you must make, determine how quickly you cross this threshold. Choosing what to have for breakfast, for instance, is not particularly difficult. Not only is this a limited selection due to what's accessible, but you also anticipate making it once a day with relatively minimal stakes. Furthermore, even if you're not entirely sure what to eat, you should have enough time to recuperate from your cognitive energy expenditure between this small decision and the next one. Let's envision something far more difficult, though. As an illustration, You need to replace it immediately since your car breaks down out of the blue. This is a difficult, unexpected choice that will have far-reaching effects. You won't find all of the possibilities in one location in this situation, as there are innumerable options to select from. You'll need to spend hours carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each option in order to make the best decision. You'll also need to decide which factors are most crucial because this isn't a decision you make very often. The pressure to make decisions quickly can lead to extra stress both during and after the decision-making process as you focus more of your energy on wishing you had more time to consider your options. Most people would have already made a decision of this importance after just one. They had reached the point of no return. Decision fatigue, on the other hand, can be much more dangerous in professions where individuals must make multiple high-stakes decisions every day. Judges, like those in the 2011 study, frequently face difficult decisions one after the other, with no time to recover. Many medical researchers are particularly concerned about decision fatigue. Doctors frequently work long shifts filled with life-or-death decisions, and some studies have found that working extended shifts increases the likelihood of critical errors. Addressing these issues requires institutional changes, but most of us can avoid fatigue in our daily lives in much more direct ways. Making fewer decisions each day, spreading out your to-do list over several days, or even doing away with some routine decisions entirely are all easy ways to improve your productivity. Additionally, giving counsel on a difficult decision usually takes less energy than making the decision oneself. Thus, before thinking about how the choices you make will directly affect you, it can be useful to picture your actions from the perspective of another person. Ultimately, it's critical to keep in mind that not all decisions are equally significant, and that you can save your energy for the ones that really count by learning to let go of the little things.