Overcome DECISION FATIGUE
We’re overrun with choice – we make over 220 decisions about food alone each day. Even the simplest one can be paralysing, so here’s how to make up your mind
WORDS LAURA POTTER
Life skills
Do you ever find yourself constantly deferring a decision because it feels too overwhelming? Or making a rash decision simply so you can stop thinking about it? Welcome to 2019.
‘It’s a symptom of our liberal society, which values freedom of choice,’ says Dr Eva Krockow, research assistant with the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour at the University of Leicester. ‘Businesses tailor their options to suit every taste, meaning we can personalise everything, but being constantly faced with so many options can be paralysing, and that leads to decision fatigue.’
That might sound over the top, but when you consider how many decisions we face daily, standing in front of two different shampoos for several minutes unable to decide which one is better suddenly makes sense. ‘It’s estimated that we make up to 35,000 decisions every day. Obviously, the importance of them varies, but that’s very mentally taxing,’ says Krockow. ‘Netflix is a good example; you have a huge list of shows to choose from, plus you’ll have read reviews, and had recommendations, so it’s difficult to commit to something. Then, when you do make a choice, you have a nagging feeling that you could have chosen better.’