To counter this, pay attention to your emotional state and focus on the character strength of self-control. Deciding to speak or send an email while angry often compounds a tough situation, because the words don’t come out right. And while these emotions have a meaningful role in our lives, you probably don’t need to see the research to know that our emotions, especially during moments of peak anger and happiness, can hinder our ability to make good decisions. Experiencing frustration, excitement, anger, joy, etc., is a fundamental part of the daily human experience. When you need to make important decisions, carve out and commit to several blocks of time during the day to focus deeply on the task at hand.Įmotions. While that’s the reality, research clearly shows that performance, including decision-making effectiveness, suffers by up to 40% when we focus on two cognitive tasks at the same time. There aren’t many jobs left in the world today that don’t require at least some multi-tasking. To counter this inclination, send out a meeting agenda 24 hours in advance to give everyone time to think about their contributions, and work to set a meeting culture that allows people to contribute their ideas after the meeting is over. Yet, these members of our teams often have some of the best ideas to contribute, since they spend so much of their time thinking.

As author Susan Cain articulates so well in her book Quiet, many introverts are reluctant to speak up in a meeting until they know precisely what they want to say. The Kellogg School recently found that in a typical meeting, an average of three people do 70% of the talking. It’s easier said than done, but doable if you make it a priority. To counter this, find time each day to unplug and step back from email, social media, news, and the onslaught of the Information Age. Consequently, many of us live in a continuous state of distraction and struggle to focus. Researchers estimate that our brains process five times as much information today as in 1986. But it’s also created an environment where information and communication never cease. The technology tsunami of the past decade has ushered in an era of unprecedented convenience. To counter it, identify the most important decisions you need to make, and, as often as possible, prioritize your time so that you make them when your energy levels are highest.Ī steady state of distraction. With so many decisions to make, especially ones that have a big impact on other people, it’s inevitable to experience decision fatigue. One of the most famous studies on this topic showed that prisoners are more likely to have parole approved in the morning than when their cases are heard in the afternoon. Our ability to perform mental tasks and make decisions wears thin when it’s repeatedly exerted. Even the most energetic people don’t have endless mental energy. When you have to make an important decision, be on the lookout for:ĭecision fatigue. Based on my experiences from three deployments as an Army officer and from researching Lead Yourself First, I’ve found the following mindsets to be detrimental to good decision-making. Our choices affect our health, our safety, our relationships, how we spend our time, and our overall well-being.

Consistently making good decisions is arguably the most important habit we can develop, especially at work. But many of the decisions we make throughout the day take real thought, and have serious consequences. Most decisions are minor and we make them instinctively or automatically - what to wear to work in the morning, whether to eat lunch now or in ten minutes, etc. Research has shown that the typical person makes about 2,000 decisions every waking hour. Practice walking away from the computer or putting the phone down, and return to the task at hand when you’re able to think more clearly and calmly. Pay attention to your emotional state, and resist the temptation to respond to people or make decisions while you’re emotionally keyed up. Emotions, especially during moments of peak anger and happiness, can also hinder our ability to make good decisions. So when you need to make important decisions, carve out and commit to several blocks of time during the day to focus deeply on the task at hand. Decision-making effectiveness suffers by up to 40% when we focus on two cognitive tasks at the same time. When you have to make an important decision, be on the lookout for decision fatigue. But some things are detrimental to good decision-making.

Bad decisions