How to make smart decisions more easily

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In a 2011 study, researchers followed a group of judges

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deciding whether or not to offer imprisoned individuals a chance at parole.

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Logically, one might expect things like an imprisoned person’s crime,

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existing sentence, and current behavior to be the primary considerations.

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But while those details were duly examined,

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one variable had a remarkably large impact:

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the time of day.

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Imprisoned people who met with the board in the morning

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were far more likely to receive parole

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than those whose cases were reviewed in the afternoon,

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even if their crimes and sentences were practically identical.

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This finding might seem strange, but the researchers’ explanation was simple:

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in the afternoon, the judges were likely exhausted.

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Specifically, they were experiencing decision fatigue.

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This kind of cognitive exhaustion occurs after a period of extended decision making

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and it can make people more impulsive and less confident while making choices.

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The dangers of decision fatigue are clear in high-stakes scenarios like this study,

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but it can have a serious impact on our day-to-day lives as well.

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So what kinds of choices lead us to this state,

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and what can we do to fight fatigue?

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Everything our bodies do— whether physical or mental— uses energy.

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But while it’s unclear exactly what resources

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are depleted during mental strain,

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studies have found many individuals seem to have a daily threshold

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for making decisions.

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And once that threshold is met,

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most people make the conscious choice to “take it easy”

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and save serious thinking about any new decisions for another day.

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How quickly you reach this threshold depends on several variables,

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including the frequency, complexity, and novelty of the decisions you have to make.

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For example, choosing what to eat for breakfast isn't very taxing.

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Not only is this decision limited by what's available,

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it's also a choice you expect to make once a day with fairly low stakes.

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And even when you’re not quite sure what to eat,

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the time between this minor decision and the next one

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should give you ample room to recover whatever cognitive energy you expend.

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But let’s imagine something much trickier.

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For example, your car suddenly breaks down

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and you need to replace it right away.

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This is an unexpected, complicated decision with serious consequences.

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In this case, there are countless options to choose from,

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and you won't find them all in one place.

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To make the optimal choice,

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you’ll need to do hours of thoughtful research

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to consider the various pros and cons.

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And since this is a decision you don’t often make,

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you’ll also have to identify what considerations are most important.

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The time pressure can add additional stress

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both during the decision-making process and afterward,

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as you expend more energy wondering if you would have made

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a different decision with more time.

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After just a single decision of this magnitude,

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most people would have already reached their decision-making threshold.

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But in professions where individuals need to make multiple high-stakes decisions

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every day,

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decision fatigue can be much more dangerous.

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Judges, like those in the 2011 study,

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often encounter difficult decisions back-to-back,

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with no time to recover.

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Many researchers are especially concerned about decision fatigue in medicine.

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Doctors often work long shifts full of life-or-death decisions,

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and some studies have found that medical workers

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are much more likely to make critical mistakes

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when working extended shifts.

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Addressing these issues requires institutional changes,

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but there are much more direct ways most of us can avoid fatigue

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in our daily lives.

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One simple strategy is to make fewer daily decisions,

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tackling your to-do list over multiple days,

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or even removing some rote decisions from your day altogether.

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It’s also typically less draining to offer advice on a hard decision

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than it is to make that choice yourself.

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So it can be helpful to imagine your decisions as someone else’s

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before considering how the consequences impact you specifically.

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Finally, it's essential to remember that not every choice is equally important,

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and learning how to relax about the small stuff can help you save energy

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for the decisions that truly matter.