Definition: Daily decisions reduce our willpower, where avoiding distractions becomes harder and harder.
Reference: "The link between willpower and decision making works both ways: Decision-making depletes your willpower, and once your willpower is depleted, you're less able to make fewer decisions." - Roy Baumeister
Insight: Our willpower is limited.
Insight: Each decision we make reduces our willpower.
Insight: Rituals help reduce decision fatigue. Rituals are the result of decisions already made, that make eliminate future decision making.
Insight: When we don't have to focus on the small things, we leave room to focus on what matters.
Principle: Make a list of all decisions in the first hour of the day. Figure out how to ritualise them.
Definition: The exhaustion we feel from making lots of decisions.
Insight: Making decisions is exhausting.
Insight: As customers we become more and more susceptible to advertising.
Insight: Willpower is like a battery: once it runs out, it needs to be recharged.
Insight: We can recharge willpower by taking a break, relaxing or eating something.
Example: IKEA understands that decision fatigue sets in after all the choices. This is one of the reasons they offer food.
Definition: The more choices we make, the more the quality of our decisions deteriorates.
Insight: Once decision fatigue sets in, we lose our ability to filter what is important from what isn't.
Insight: Once you are able to automate decision making, and perform tasks automatically, you are less susceptible to decision fatigue.
Definition: The more decisions you make, the worse your judgement becomes.
Example: Candy at the checkout - once you have gone through the store and made decision after decision, you are likely low on energy and feel like a sugar hit.
Insight: Reducing the number of decisions made throughout the day can preserve our mental energy.
Insight: Unstructured days can paralyse us.
Insight: Pre-scheduling (workouts for example) is like a scaffolding around which we can more effectively execute our days.
Reference: Jocko Willink: "My mantra is a very simple one, and that's 'Discipline equals freedom.'"
Key Insights & Principles
Decision Making
Willpower is limited.
Our ability to make quality decisions reduces with each decision we make.
A lack of structure can paralyse us.
Rituals and pre-scheduling reduces the decisions we make throughout the day.
Make rituals and pre-commitments.
Embed habits through repeated actions to automate decision making.
