What shirt are you going to wear today? Are you going to drink coffee, water or tea this morning? Do you have enough time to make some breakfast or are you running late to work? What radio station are you going to listen to on the way to work?
Our day starts off with hundreds of small decisions, but did you know that all of these decisions that we make throughout the day slowly start to drain our energy? Did you know former President Obama would only wear gray or blue suits to cut down on decisions?
Decision fatigue is real and most likely effects how we interact with our co-workers, individuals we support, and our family members when we get home from work. It might help explain why we feel so low on mental energy by the end of the day. It also might help us be more mindful of how we utilize a person-centered approach to the work that we do.
As a part of Thrive, our job is to work with individuals to provide support, but how often do we catch ourselves making decisions for them? Being mindful of making decisions for others provides both a person-centered approach, but can also be a healthy self-care practice for ourselves to make it through your shift with as much energy and motivation as possible. Do you notice that by the end of your shift that you might choose the path of least resistance to avoid any conflict? It is important to remember that working in a person-centered way, is it our responsibility to be providing the individuals in our programs the information and resources in order for them to make their own decisions. In an article from Forbes, that I will paraphrase, here are some strategies to help with how to conserve our energy throughout the day.
Plan meetings in the morning, people make sounder and fairer decisions earlier in the day.
Don’t think about work on the weekend! This is your time to rest and recharge, don’t drain your energy on your days off.
Decide what you want to wear the night before.
Plan out your week ahead of time, that way the decision is made once and not throughout the week.
Utilize healthy snacks to keep your glucose levels up and your brain charged.
Avoid impulse decisions.
How to Identify When You're Experiencing Decision Fatigue by Maria Gamb, Forbes