Decision fatigue

I have been procrastinating big time on choosing and configuring business systems. So many choices. So many variables. So much complexity in designing integrations between different tools. I grind to a stand-still.

It’s decision fatigue. I finally realized the reason why I’ve been avoiding the task(s) besides the fact that administration is not always fun.

Decision fatigue happens when your ability to make quality decisions declines because you’ve been making too many decisions. It’s the psychology behind cash register displays of impulse buys. You’ve made so many shopping choices by the time you reach the cashier that you’re more prone to grabbing that Snickers.

Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. wear the same thing every day to conserve their decision-making energy.

It works the same way with choosing what food to eat. It’s helpful to have ‘go-to’ meals in mind for those hectic times. Humans tend to repeat the same favorite foods. That’s not a bad thing. Sticking to a group of faves makes it easier to stick eating nutritiously.

Today I picked the platform that seemed the best. Everything I reviewed had the basic features. I was mired in the details when they.just.don’t.matter.  An imperfect system that runs is better than the “best” system that you never implement.

I managed to get unstuck. Good thing I’m not at the register because I would totally be picking up that Snickers.