“What’s for Dinner?” Even a simple question like that can tip the scales for a person that has been dealing with decision after decision in a non-stop fashion. It is called Decision Fatigue.

It turns out that making decisions is actually very stressful.  As we make hundreds of decisions each day on matters big and small, the cumulative stress adds up.  It’s called decision fatigue, and it can often lead us to shut down and do nothing. With our instant communication and constant information overload, we feel decision fatigue now more than ever. You know it’s gotten bad when deciding whether to “like” something, actually hurts your brain.

There are many factors that lead to this condition. Many refer to some kind of fear. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I want to do something else late? Decisions can be changed and people are allowed to change their choices.

Some fears are based on a person’s lack of abilities or perceived abilities. What if it is too hard and I can do it? People will help. The decision I make could look foolish to other people. So what? Let people take care of themselves first. Failure happens.

Probably the biggest fear may be commitment. What am I getting myself into? Will I ever get out of it? People will step up to the plate if it is too much for you.

We make decisions every day; everything we say and do is the result of a decision, whether we make it consciously or not. For every choice, big or small, there’s no easy formula for making the right decision. The best you can do is to approach it from as many perspectives as possible and then choose a course of action that seems reasonable and balanced at that time.

“Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful…”  ― José N. Harris

The opinions in this blog are those of Tom Knuppel