Rhythm is a Decider
Are you decisive? Are you a risk-taker? For years now, I’ve tried to help people answer these questions by dissecting factors like genetics and formative childhood experiences. What I apparently overlooked, however, was lunch.
An article in the New York Times last week asked “do you suffer from decision fatigue?” The crux of the article was a recent study done by a trio of Israeli researchers who showed that the same criminal court judge would be far more likely to okay a convict’s parole (a risky decision) in the morning, than he would in the afternoon (the cautious decision).
When the day is young most of us feel more like a brash young Marty McFly, daring the world to call us “chicken.” But after a long morning of making decisions, fatigue sets in. By the middle of the afternoon, the brazen judge from the morning starts acting more like a pre-Delorean George McFly—ignoring his romantic impulses, in favor of protecting himself from the Bif Tannens of the world.
Some might argue that the more cautious, elder McFly is the better model for decision-making. Others would say we are at our best while skating our hover boards daringly into the future. The jury is out on which is “better,” and I’m not sure we’ll ever reach consensus on that point.
But I do think the article provides us with two key takeaways. The first is that making decisions can be exhausting. And you know what’s even more exhausting? Not making decisions. The mere act of having to make decision saps an enormous amount of mental energy. When you delay that decision, you just prolong the wear and tear on your brain. If you’ve ever known anyone who has built a house and had to decide on everything from the color of curtains in the nursery to the style of toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom, you know exactly what decision fatigue is all about.
The second point is that the rhythm of our day has a profound influence on how we make decisions. During certain times of the day, we are confident and decisive. Other times of the day, we are exhausted and indecisive. As such, the smart thing to do would be to start paying attention to our decision rhythms and do whatever we can–reschedule important meetings to more vibrant times of the day and/or shuffle deadlines–to eliminate situations in which we would be forced to make important decisions when we’re running on empty.
People will buy any situation that is ‘one to a customer.’
The herd instinct among forecasters makes sheep seem like independent thinkers.