3 Steps to Navigating Decision Fatigue
Have you ever had that moment when you hear about something for the first time and you think: “Wait, that’s a thing? Other people feel that too?”
Well, you’re not alone.
A few years ago I stepped into the CEO role and after a chaotic 90 days, I went on vacation with my wife.
And I was wiped.
But here’s the thing…
I had 0 unread slacks and emails #inboxzero
I had 0 meetings
I had 0 calls to make.
You’d think I’d be able to relax, but my mind was racing nonstop and I couldn’t shut it off.
It wasn’t like anyone was waiting on me to do anything, so I was thinking, “Why the heck do I feel this way?”
You see, what used to weigh me down before were deadlines and tasks and checklists… but as the leader, it was now decisions.
Decisions can feel a lot less tangible, but a lot more weighty.
I had this realization that previously I didn’t have to solve the big problems. Not really.
I would move fast, solve the little problems, and then kick the big problems “upstairs.”
I realized that, as the CEO, it was now up to me to solve the big problems.
There was no one else for me to turn to, no one else for me to blame, no one to share that burden.
I was talking to someone about it and they immediately said: “Oh, you’re just experiencing decision fatigue.”
“Wait…. That’s a THING?!”
My first thought was validation: phew! I’m not the only one.
But my second thought was… I gotta get better at this… I can’t feel this way every time I leave the office.
Practically, it highlighted how big the gap was for me in effective decision-making and the steep learning curve that I needed to learn how to overcome.
Like or dislike him, no one can argue with the fact that Jeff Bezos is a phenomenal business leader. Amazon was founded in 1994 and just 24 years later they were valued at 1 trillion dollars. (that’s trillion with a T 🤯)
So let’s take a quick look at how Bezos makes decisions and how he avoids decision fatigue:
#1 Quality over quantity
If I make three good decisions a day, that's enough, and they should just be as high quality as I can make them.
We may not have the option like Bezos to delegate everything except three big decisions, but this is a great reminder that if we can delegate other decisions to share the load then we should.
#2 Don’t wait for all of the data
You should make your decision as soon as you have 70% of the information you need to make that decision.
For the perfectionists out there, this is a tough one. The reality is, we can’t wait to get all the data and information we need for every decision. As Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx) said: “trust your gut and intuition more.”
#3 Make decisions when you’re at your best
His most productive time is between 10 am and midday, a two-hour-long period during which he tackles the day's priority meetings and paperwork.
Again, we may not have the same flexibility with our schedule that Bezos does, but I like the idea of structuring our day around when we’re personally at our best. For example, for me, I know that I’m not at my best on Friday afternoons. So I front-load my weeks with all the big decisions and topics so that I’m as present and focused as I can be.
Some thoughts for you to process this week:
Is it the quantity or quality of decisions that cause you fatigue?
Are there areas where you’re overcomplicating it and need to follow your gut more?
When are you at your best? How can you structure your day to fit your energy and focus levels?
Thanks for reading,
MT