The standard advice is to push through decision fatigue, to keep making choices no matter how mentally exhausted you are. Most people follow it, and most people get poor results — burned out, struggling to make quality decisions, and defaulting to the status quo. However, our analysis suggests that this approach is flawed, and it’s time to challenge conventional wisdom.

Forget Pushing Through — Prioritize Decision Hygiene Instead

Decision fatigue is not just a personal failing, but a natural consequence of the high-stakes decision-making environment. Implementing a “Decision Hygiene” framework can help mitigate decision fatigue by establishing clear boundaries, prioritizing decisions, and delegating tasks when possible. This approach acknowledges that decision-making is a limited resource and that conservation and optimization are key to maintaining cognitive quality.

Forget Surrounding Yourself with Yes-Men — Build a Lateral Credibility Stack

CEOs and executives often surround themselves with people who agree with them, but this can exacerbate decision fatigue. Instead, adopt a “Lateral Credibility Stack” approach, where you surround yourself with trusted advisors and experts who can share the decision-making burden and provide fresh perspectives. This approach can help reduce the psychological burden of decision-making and improve the quality of decisions.

Forget Making Decisions in Isolation — Leverage the 90-Day Visibility Protocol

The “90-Day Visibility Protocol” is an effective strategy for executives to manage decision fatigue. By prioritizing and focusing on key decisions that have a significant impact on the organization within a 90-day timeframe, executives can reduce the complexity and volume of decisions, allowing for more focused and higher-quality decision-making.

Forget Making Decisions in Isolation — Leverage the 90-Day Visibility Protocol The “90-Day Visibility Protocol” is an effective strategy for executives to manage decision fatigue.

Forget Being a Hero — Delegate Decisions to Reduce Decision Debt

Decision debt, the psychological burden of accumulated micro-decisions, is a significant contributor to career burnout. By delegating tasks and decisions when possible, executives can reduce their decision debt and conserve their mental resources for high-stakes decisions. This approach requires a willingness to let go of control and trust others to make decisions.

Forget Ignoring Your Body — Incorporate Self-Care to Recharge

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Decision fatigue can be reduced by incorporating regular breaks and self-care practices into daily routines, allowing executives to recharge and maintain their cognitive abilities. This approach acknowledges that decision-making is a physically and mentally demanding activity that requires rest and rejuvenation to perform at optimal levels.

Forget Trying to Make Perfect Decisions — Aim for Satisficing Instead

The pursuit of perfect decisions can exacerbate decision fatigue, as it requires an excessive amount of time and mental energy. Instead, aim for satisficing, a approach that involves making good enough decisions that meet the required standards. This approach can help reduce the decision-making burden and improve the speed and quality of decisions.

Forget Going It Alone — Seek Feedback and Support to Mitigate Decision Fatigue

Finally, executives who acknowledge and address decision fatigue can make better, faster choices, leading to improved overall performance and reduced risk of burnout. By seeking feedback and support from trusted advisors, peers, and mentors, executives can gain new insights, challenge their assumptions, and develop more effective decision-making strategies. This approach requires a willingness to be vulnerable and open to feedback, but it can lead to significant improvements in decision-making quality and overall well-being.

In conclusion, the conventional advice to push through decision fatigue is misguided. By prioritizing decision hygiene, building a lateral credibility stack, leveraging the 90-day visibility protocol, delegating decisions, incorporating self-care, aiming for satisficing, and seeking feedback and support, executives can mitigate decision fatigue and make better, faster choices. While the conventional advice may have some merit, such as the importance of perseverance and resilience, it overlooks the critical need for strategies that conserve and optimize decision-making resources. By acknowledging the limitations of human decision-making and implementing these contrarian strategies, executives can improve their decision-making quality, reduce their risk of burnout, and achieve greater success in their careers.

By seeking feedback and support from trusted advisors, peers, and mentors, executives can gain new insights, challenge their assumptions, and develop more effective decision-making strategies.

The single biggest lever that executives have to mitigate decision fatigue is to acknowledge and address it directly. By recognizing the signs of decision fatigue, such as mental exhaustion, decreased productivity, and poor decision-making quality, executives can take proactive steps to conserve and optimize their decision-making resources. This may involve implementing decision hygiene practices, seeking feedback and support, and prioritizing self-care and rejuvenation. By taking control of their decision-making processes and addressing decision fatigue head-on, executives can make better, faster choices, achieve greater success, and reduce their risk of burnout.

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