6 Ways to Handle Decision Fatigue
Managing all the back-and-forth business shifts going onright now can take its toll.
35,000.
That’s the number of decisions researchers estimate that people make each day. Against that backdrop, a seemingly simple choice of breathing through your nose or your mouth (one of those decisions) can sound exhausting. Researchers estimate that about half of these decisions are work related, however, and those are often tougher than choosing between mouth breathing and nose breathing. In these tumultuous times, each work decision usually requires multiple follow-up choices, often quite quickly. It’s perhaps not surprising that 45% of US managers report feeling consistently exhausted, according to a 2026 Gallup survey.
Decision fatigue can’t just be slept off, experts say. It tends to build, and can lead to suboptimal choices, procrastination, and other forms of avoidance, says business psychologist James Bywater, a Korn Ferry senior client partner. Pushing through it is not the answer. “Managing decision fatigue is crucial for leaders to maintain their effectiveness and mental clarity,” says Bywater. Here are some ways to mitigate decision fatigue:
Know when decision fatigue strikes.
Decision fatigue is trickier to identify than overwhelm or burnout. You might find yourself impatient, avoidant, irritable, indecisive, or tempted to make a rash or bold choice (“Screw it, I pick option B”). “Self-monitor and realize when you’re reaching saturation point,” says Bywater.
Go with defaults.
There’s a reason that some executives eat or wear more or less the same thing every day: It lowers cognitive load. Specifically, it helps establish default choices and heuristics for the lower-stakes choices, says Bywater, both in work and home life—which might including maintaining a fixed grocery list, automating bill payments, and other, similar chores.
Sleep on it.
Research suggests that decision-making acuity—for everyone from doctors to judges—wanes in the afternoon, even in the best of circumstances. Your best bet is to save rough choices until the morning, when mental energy is highest, says Bywater.
Delegate.
“Spread some decision-making across your team,” says Kendra Marion, Korn Ferry’s vice president for global assessment services. That way, you won’t carry the burden of every decision, and you’ll provide learning and leadership opportunities for others.
Avoid decision-heavy days.
It’s best to avoid making important decisions in the wake of dealing with a pile of other decisions. Research shows that decision fatigue can negatively impact your judgment in the short term.
Let it go.
Ruminating goes hand-in-hand with decision fatigue—and just drains you further. Tell yourself that you made the best decision you could with the information available, and move on. “It’s key to stop revisiting decisions,” says Marion.
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