Decision fatigue

Decision Fatigue: Too Much Choice Leading to Mental Burnout?

I'm back! Senior year of college, applying for graduate school, summer travel, and a creative rut have kept me away.

As I have pondered how to jump back onto this platform, a broken T.V. in London led to a light bulb moment. 

During our month-long stay in Notting Hill, the malfunctioning T.V. became problematic as we were accustomed to winding down with Wimbledon (well deserved, Alcaraz), the Euros, and various romantic comedies. An electrician who said he was no expert in “tellys” as he “didn’t have one himself” (hard to imagine) managed to get a few cable stations working.  

For the next few weeks, our movie decisions were predetermined by what was playing on cable. Obviously, this was the norm for quite some time; however, I've spent my childhood and emerging adulthood with not just hundreds of cable channels, but multiple streaming platforms. While first annoyed by the absence of Netflix, I did not anticipate lacking unlimited options to be such a blissful experience. 

The Problem: Too Much Choice

Have you ever wondered why most successful people are extremely routine-oriented? It minimizes daily decisions, preserving mental resources for more significant tasks. A famous example of this is Steve Jobs' daily wardrobe, a black turtleneck and jeans. While his wardrobe lacked diversity, his energy was preserved for creating the products our lives depend on today. 

This spans far beyond our nightly scroll deciding what to watch on the “telly.” Consider the process of choosing where to have dinner on a trip. 

You go on your phone and begin scrolling to survey your options. You could do Mediterranean at six but you were hoping to eat at seven. You can do Mexican at seven but have to sit at the bar. A steakhouse at seven-thirty with mixed reviews—is it worth the risk? You remember your partner dislikes fish, and the new place in the next town doesn't take reservations. 

I mean this can go on and on. The agony of choice only deepens with apps like TripAdvisor and OpenTable.

“Convenience” seems to breed complexity. Facing a new decision at every turn, you don’t have to look far to see how the optimization of choice is contributing to the epidemic of anxiety, depression, and burn-out.

Grocery Store Woes: The Maximizer and the Satificer

Sensitivity to choice varies. There are maximizers and satisficers. 

Some of us are okay with just okay. Satisficers identify and fulfill a need without having to survey every option. Consider buying wine: satisficers choose a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and move on, while maximizers deliberate—red or white? Should we take advantage of the buy-one-get-one deal? Maybe skip wine altogether? This indecisiveness ends with a flustered and edgy return home, in stark contrast with those whose need is easily satisfied.

As a “recovering” maximizer, my time abroad introduced me to the glory of small local markets. They offer five seasonal veggies, a snack aisle the size of my closet, and just one type of peanut butter—a refreshing limitation of decision!

Embracing Simplicity

The abundance of choice leads to information overload. Our brains are working on overdrive to intake, sort, and comprehend a continuous stream of data – this is why our mental resources are depleted just getting through a grocery store list or picking a movie. 

So the question is, how do we decrease our daily decisions? How do we learn to accept "just okay”? 

Here are steps I'm taking:

• Establish routines for strong habits—whether it's a consistent workout schedule, laying out clothes the night before, or Taco Tuesdays.

• Minimize surveying options by sticking with what's "okay"—an easy way to do this is brand loyalty. If you like your shampoo, stick with it.

• Commit to low risk decisions without contemplation—make one dinner reservation and move on.

• Limit time spent online reading reviews—my personal takeaway after planning weeks of travel.

• Ground yourself—whether through religion, meditation, exercise, time with loved ones, or journaling. The comfort of gratitude decreases indecisiveness over the “small stuff.” 

By conserving mental energy, we redirect it towards meaningful pursuits. Personally, I'm channeling this energy towards creativity and fresh inspiration. I wish you the same cognitive and creative flow—the world needs less stress over Amazon purchases and more emphasis on original thought.

For more info…

• The Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less by American psychologist Barry Schwartz is great if interested in exploring the cause and concept of decision fatigue