By EmilyRose Nulty
Winding down in the evening is one of my favourite rituals: a clean room, all cosy, candle lighting, nail polish ready to go, pj’s on, and something good to watch. However, I have found the last while now that I prefer to just re-watch old movies and shows because it’s less of a decision after a day filled with them- it feels necessary.
I crave the simplicity of it.
Deciding what to watch in the evening is just one of many we make daily. While researching, it turns out that my craving for fewer choices isn’t uncommon. As people, on average we make 35,000 decisions per day according to Tess Malone, Senior Research Writer & Editor at Georgia Tech.
Our brains don’t recognise the difference between a small or a big decision; every choice takes mental energy. Your decisions are completely individual, and we all experience life in our own way, which we may or may not relate to. Collectively, we all have to make so many decisions each day: from what to wear in the morning, to choosing what to eat, work-related issues, and what social media platforms to devote time to. Objectively, it is exhausting. This is a basic list to give examples. Even within ourselves, choosing to try to change our day takes mental energy.
In an interview with the American Medical Association, Psychiatrist, Dr.Lisa McLean, MD explains “Decision Fatigue,” a theory that is simple yet has complexity among professionals. Decision Fatigue refers to the concept that the more decisions you make throughout the day, the more the quality of your decisions can gradually reduce. Dr. McLean explains that “when you add up all these decisions, it’s no surprise that after a long day of making decisions you may feel tired and exhausted, and you just don’t want to have to make any more decisions.” The four main symptoms of decision fatigue are procrastination, impulsivity, avoidance, and indecision.
Another important element to address is the pandemic: people tend to think more about the world and the tragic events occurring:war, wildfires, storms, shootings. This also contributes to decision fatigue since Covid.
It makes sense why, by evening, we switch back to familiar or old routines. Dr. McLean states “the more choices you have to make, the more it can wear on your brain, and it may cause your brain to look for short cuts.
Even when we do have the mental energy to make a solid decision, having too many choices can immediately make the decision feel impossible; this is known as the “Paradox of Choice”. This could affect you in the most seemingly random way: while you are picking a new shower gel for yourself, it is the quantity and the extra step to make that decision.
The Paradox Of Choice was coined by Psychologist Barry Schwartz. The basic concept of the theory is that we often leave less satisfied the more options we have to make a decision. Schwartz’s theory suggests that the quantity of choices “requires more cognitive effort”, which can lead to decision fatigue, second-guessing our choices.
Something like choosing something to watch on a streaming platform can become overwhelming because of the further decisions involved. It isn’t just watching something; it’s choosing the platform, the genre, scrolling, and looking until hopefully you found something pretty decent, if not wonderful!
Together, these concepts illustrate how even those everyday decisions can quietly drain us and shape how we feel and the further decisions we make. By the evening, self-admittedly, I do a bit of an endless scroll, just wanting my brain to rewind.
While we can’t escape choices entirely, we can make small changes to reclaim some of that energy, according to Forensicare:
Timing matters
- Make important decisions first.
- The morning is usually the best time to make big decisions, it’s important that you’ve gotten a good sleep and eat something prior, the fatigue increases throughout the day.
Reduce the load
- Prioritise and focus on one at a time.
- Before making an important decision later in the day, take the time to rest and eat beforehand.
Plan your day
- If it is feasible to have a plan, it limits the amount of decisions you need to make instantly.
Setting personal deadlines.
- Creating deadlines for making certain decisions, this leads to less procrastination and overwhelm which helps us create clearer decisions.
Limit Distractions.
- Step away from the phone, the laptop, the apps. Take some time for yourself, the break from screens is crucial.
Awareness and support
Research has shown that suppressing emotions can lead to fatigue, being aware of your own mind and body is so important for you to be intentional. Talking to others about your fatigue is so important – you are not alone.
It’s easy to see why many of us feel overwhelmed today, experiencing overload in various aspects of our lives. The constant stream of information delivered in seconds by technology only adds to the pressure. Paying attention to small habits and making decisions as they arise can help lighten the mental load. It is equally important to give yourself space to pause and take a break, and, where possible, seek input or delegate decisions to family, friends, or colleagues. Even sharing the smallest choices, or taking a moment to make them for yourself, can make a meaningful difference.