How You Can Stop Making Bad Decisions Now
Why do we make unhealthy and unproductive choices -- even when we know we should do better?
If you ask most people, they will say that poor choices are a result of a “lack of willpower.”
But research from Columbia University is beginning to reveal that willpower doesn’t quite work that way.
In fact, you may be surprised just how much small daily decisions impact the willpower you have for important choices. And most importantly, it turns out there are simple choices you can make that will help you master your willpower and make better decisions on a more consistent basis.
Here’s the deal...
What’s Going on Here?As it turns out, your willpower is like a muscle. And similar to the muscles in your body, willpower can get fatigued when you use it over and over again. Every time you make a decision, it’s like doing another rep in the gym. And similar to how your muscles get tired at the end of a workout, the strength of your willpower fades as you make more decisions.Researchers often refer to this phenomenon as decision fatigue. When the judge on a parole board experiences decision fatigue, they deny more parole requests.This makes sense. When your willpower is fading and your brain is tired of making decisions, it’s easier just to say no and keep everyone locked up than it is to debate whether or not someone is trustworthy enough to leave prison. At the beginning of the day, a judge will give each case a fair shot. But as their energy starts to fade? Deny, deny, deny.Here’s why this is important for you...Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?Decision fatigue happens every day in your life as well. If you have a particularly decision-heavy day at work, then you come home feeling drained. You might want to go to the gym and workout, but your brain would rather default to the easy decision: sit on the couch. That’s decision fatigue.The same thing is true if you find it hard to muster up the willpower to work on your side business at night or to cook a healthy meal for dinner.And while decision fatigue is something that we all deal with, there are a few ways that you can organize your life and design your day to
