Do you ever feel like your brain is turning to mush by the middle of the day? That fuzzy, foggy feeling when decisions seem harder, small choices make you feel overwhelmed, or you just decide to go with the flow. That’s what decision fatigue looks like.
Decision fatigue is when you have to make too many choices, your brain gets tired and you can’t think straight. Think of it as your brain’s decision-making muscles getting tired from using them too much. When this happens, you make worse decisions, you act on impulse, take the easy way out, and those hard choices suddenly seem impossible.
This is what it looks like:
- Making decisions more slowly or putting them off, or even not making them at all
- Picking the easy or default options instead of the best ones
- Becoming angry or losing your focus
- Putting things off or having trouble thinking clearly
This is based on solid science. For instance, judges are more likely to grant parole early in their sessions when they are fresh. As they get tired, they become more cautious and less likely to say yes. Doctors do the same thing: they give patients easier but less ideal treatments later in the day.
The first thing you need to do is understand decision fatigue. You can start saving that valuable mental energy for things that really matter once you know it’s happening.
Getting to Know Mental Models
So, how do you deal with this mental drain? Mental models are simple ways of thinking about things that help you understand complicated situations or face day-by-day decisions. Mental models are like cheat codes for your brain; they help you figure out what’s important and cut through the noise.
Take System 1 and System 2 Mental Model, for example. Understanding that your brain switches between quick, gut-driven “System 1” thinking and slower, more deliberate “System 2” thinking helps you decide when to trust your instincts, and when to slow down and analyze. And you come to the conclusion that when you’re tired, it’s not the moment for grand gestures or major decisions. And that when your energy returns, you don’t waste it on micromanaging every detail of your day. Instead, you focus on broader life and work strategies first, the ones that create meaningful momentum and lasting impact over time.
Other mental models, such as decomposing problems into their most basic components, using inversion to turn them upside down and establishing an anchor for better habits, provide you with useful strategies for handling complexity and avoiding pitfalls.
Building your mental model toolkit while your energy is high helps you sidestep decision fatigue and make smarter, clearer choices, even on the busiest days.
Combating Decision Fatigue Through Mental Models
Now, let’s get practical. Decision fatigue zaps your brain’s juice, making it tough to think straight. However, mental models can be an effective tool for protecting your mental energy and making decisions easier.
You should keep in mind that System 1 is your brain’s default mode for routine tasks, especially when you’re juggling a lot or feeling overwhelmed. If you haven’t planned ahead for a busy day, you’re more likely to fall back on familiar habits that offer quick comfort, like emotional eating or binge-watching TV after a stressful day, instead of winding down early and getting proper rest.
Now, knowing about that you can create anchors, visual cues and pre-decide IF-THENs scenarios. That will definitely help you not stress much about routine decisions, and starting to trust your “System 1” thinking in day-to-day life.
For routine, low-stakes decisions like what to eat, what to wear, or which route to take, we need to rely on our quick “System 1” thinking; keeping it straightforward and conserving our attention, by saving our slow, methodical “System 2” thinking for those important, high-stakes decisions where careful consideration is beneficial.
If we don’t set up visual cues, like a glass of water by the bed, a pre-decided “IF-THEN” such as “IF – TRAFFIC”, THEN – backup route”, or anchors such as a shopping list on the fridge, we’re likely to fall back on old habits. Without these prompts, our brain defaults to familiar behaviors, even when they’re not the most helpful.
We are depending on mental shortcuts and prior knowledge when we use “System 1” for routine tasks. If we learn to work with it, they won’t interfere with extremely important decisions.
Not to overthink routine decisions is the key to having a good day.
Make your surroundings conducive to making healthy decisions. Make it simpler to reach for a piece of fruit rather than a cookie, as if you were storing sweets in a basement cabinet.
Encourage movement rather than screen time by, for example, keeping the TV remote in a drawer in the guest room to deter you from turning it on as soon as you enter. Make an agreement with a family member to mow the lawn if you haven’t done it by Wednesday. Maintain a consistent exercise routine, no matter what. Use simple IF–THEN scenarios to stay on track: If I can’t make it to the gym today, then I’ll walk for 15 minutes around the house. This keeps movement non-negotiable and builds resilience into your habits.
When deciding what to wear, reach for your favorite pair of jeans and a T-shirt instead of causing a scene with your wardrobe. On your way to work? Unless there is a compelling reason to alter your course, stay on your typical path. These quick, easy decisions free up mental space for the important things.
Similar to how you make your favorite healthy dinner without having to decide which ingredients to use or cook it step-by-step, you will rely on System 2 thinking until the solution comes to you naturally when a problem demands a deeper understanding. Over time, the more you use your analytical mind when you have the energy to do so, the more intuitive and effortless your decisions will become. This is the power of intentional practice and mental modeling. Make an effort to simplify and maximize your choices in the areas where you have less control.
The decisions that truly deserve your attention are those whose consequences quietly accumulate over the years. These are choices that require analysis, research, and active testing, because ignoring them today could come at a high cost 10, 15, or 30 years from now. For example: if you don’t start earning more or saving now, what will your financial life look like in the future? If you decide not to have children, have you considered the emotional and social impact down the line? And if you choose not to study, deepen your knowledge, exercise, or improve your diet, what will your physical, mental, and professional health look like decades from now? These are long-range decisions, and precisely for that reason, they deserve time, strategy, and conscious thought.
Here are four mental models that are especially powerful for reducing decision fatigue and enabling direct, confident implementation:
- First Principles Thinking: Strip problems down to their basic truths. Ask yourself: What makes one healthier? Happier? Wealthier? What’s one simple action I can take right now that will make me healthier, happier, or wealthier 10 years from today? Build your decisions up from there and avoid getting lost in assumptions, noise or shortcuts.
- Elimination: Not deciding is still a decision, one that often leads to stagnation. So strip it down to two clear choices, and commit to one. Clarity comes from action. Reduce complexity by narrowing things to two simple options. For instance, you’re at the market with a $10 bill: which better serves your long-term goals, buying fresh strawberries or grabbing a strawberry-flavored cookie? You’re at the gym: will you spend time stressing and scrolling through your phone for the perfect workout, or simply start with an exercise you already know? In both cases, simplicity wins. Choose the real thing. Choose action over analysis.
- Second-Order Thinking: Think ahead when you have the energy to do so! What happens next? And then after that? This keeps you from falling into quick, short-sighted decisions when your brain is tired.
- The Hard Choice Model: Know when a decision is genuinely tough because it pits priorities against each other. Use your core values as a compass to navigate these moments. What you will regret the most in 10 years, not saving for a house or not investing in your education?
By making these mental models your allies, you can work more efficiently, conserve mental energy, and stay away from hasty shortcuts.
Practical Strategies to Combat Decision Fatigue
When your brain is juggling too many options, decision fatigue sets in. Here’s how to reduce the workload:
- Simplify Daily Decisions: Plan your meals, organize your clothes, automate or standardize routine tasks, and establish habits that allow decisions to be made automatically.
- Set Important Decisions First: Make important, large decisions in the morning, when your mind is at its most alert. Simple or low-impact tasks should be put off.
- Examine and Get Rid of Mental Energy Leaks: Determine unnecessary decisions and diversions. Refuse, assign, or get rid of things that drain you.
- Employ Mental Models as Instruments: Rely on your mental models when you’re feeling disoriented. They provide your brain with a roadmap to overcome the disarray brought on by fatigue.
Extra advice? Create routines to replenish mental energy overnight, batch similar decisions, set time limits to prevent overthinking, and take breaks to rest.
Conclusion
How can one overcome decision fatigue? Develop a wide variety of mental models and make frequent use of them.
These frameworks help you think more deeply and clearly, simplify difficult decisions, and lessen mental chaos. By relying on them, you reduce expensive errors, prevent brain burnout, and develop consistent decision-making ability.
Stronger mental models ultimately help you make better decisions and sustain your mental energy so you can concentrate on the things that really matter.
