How to Outsmart Decision Fatigue

Written by: Karlie Kramer | Mint

Karlie writes on behalf of Mint about finance and productivity. Specifically, she is interested in how people can leverage technology and automation to live financially successful lives. Her most recent piece is on eight ways to outsmart Decision Fatigue .

How many decisions would you say you make in a day? Twenty? Fifty?

What if we told you that Americans, on average, make between 10,000 to 40,000 choices every day. You may be wondering how this is even feasible, but little decisions add up. For example, you may choose to switch tasks at work over 300 times.When you’ve made too many choices within a relatively short time period, you can experience a mental drain known as decision fatigue. Also known as ego depletion, this theory describes how the quality of our decisions is diminished as we make more and more choices.So how does decision fatigue affect your life? This occurrence can impact all of your daily activities, from meals to meetings. If your brain has to evaluate and make too many decisions, it will likely abstain from making one at all, clouding your judgment and forcing you to rely on your impulses. Impulse purchases can hurt your bank account and even lead to additional negative consequences down the road.Related: Listen for Possibilities in the Goals of Your ProspectsTo help you avoid this for a more productive workflow, our friends at Mint put together eight ways to outsmart decision fatigue.