The Executive’s Guide to Limiting Decision Fatigue

Ever notice that you’re tired at the end of the day even though you may not have actually done any physical work? Perhaps you haven’t done any of the knowledgework, either – yet you’re taxed.

If you’re like any other owner-executive, it’s likely that the fatigue you feel is decision fatigue.

Decision fatigue does more than tax you, though. It also makes you irritable, frustrated, and can be a contributing factor to generally poorer decision-making.

There are typically three reasons why you might be suffering from decision fatigue:

1. You've confused being the chief decision-maker with being the only decision maker. If you have more than one person on your team, you shouldn't be the only one making decisions. Start by building the delegation habit.

2. An unclear vision, strategy, and purpose makes it so you have to make a ton of micro-decisions every day. A solid vision and strategy necessarily excludes a lot of options, with the upshot being that you don't have to spend all day making decisions - you've already made the most important ones. A good strategy and leadership help you sleep better at night and limits decision fatigue during the day.

3. You haven't trained and empowered your team. If you don't make time, room, and priority for the training and integration of teammates, you'll always have a performance gap.

Delegating decision-making. Getting clear on our vision, strategy, and purpose. Training and providing an effective work environment. These are three simple areas to invest in that both limit decision fatigue and sets the conditions for successful business growth. And while something being simple isn't the same as it being easy, ask yourself whether you'd rather be fatigued by the effort of solving the problem or fatigued because the problem remains unsolved. (Tweet this.)

It's your decision. What will you choose?