Decisions, Decisions...
A year for the record books
Decision fatigue is a well-known phenomenon, especially for physicians and primary parents. The cumulative effect of repeatedly making decisions, such as during a busy shift in the E.D. or a day at home with children who never stop asking “Can I have…?”, results in mental & physical exhaustion as well as a dwindling ability to continue to make good decisions. This is why restaurants are packed with young families on Friday nights.
After 10 months of making some of the hardest decisions in our lives, we have become almost computer-like in our ability to process options, select one, and move on. We always chuckle that our friend who is known to spend days driving between stores to compare ALL of the TV options and prices could never make this move. It is our hope, though, that our newfound ability to make split-second decisions is the result of honed practice rather than a pivot to the path of least resistance.
Decision fatigue can cause us to make poor decisions. As we reach mental exhaustion, our brains take illogical shortcuts to aid us in our decision-making. These shortcuts often result in reduced self-control, impulsivity, and reliance on biases, impairing our ability to evaluate long-term outcomes effectively.
Of course there was the gut-wrenching decision to make the move, which took nearly a year. Deciding on which job offer to accept caused weeks of sleepless nights. We debated about shipping vs. selling many items. In hindsight, the debate about travel routes for the move took way too long. The shipping company was chosen based on who answered the phone fastest.
On the ground in New Zealand, decision-making has sped up, both out of necessity (We need cars, Toyotas are good, we’ll take 2) and time constraints (Our AirBnb runs out December 8, these houses are for sale now, we’ll take that one please.) Shopping for appliances perfectly illustrated decision fatigue in action: 45 minutes debating refrigerators, 15 minutes on a washer + dryer, and less than 5 minutes on a dishwasher (Oh, that’s like the one we had in the States! Sold) right before we walked out the door. We spent 20 minutes picking out flooring (goodbye, NZ gray carpet) and less than an hour discussing a kitchen remodel with The Joinery Zone (This slab, those cabinets, that sink, handles TBD.)
Honestly, it is liberating to make a decision and move on. Debate is agonizing. Uncertainty is crippling. “Good enough” is one of Mom’s midlife mottos, and it suits us well here. Nothing is perfect, but certainly a Toyota Rav4 and an LG dishwasher will be good enough for our needs. We think we are on the right track, too, because we have not regretted a decision yet. Or maybe it is because we are too busy making the next decision that we have not had time to critique the last one. Time to buy a dog? That one just had a litter, puppies will be ready the day school ends, parents aren’t psychotic, price is fair, we’ll take it.
Yes, we bought a house and a dog. And 11 cows. The cat comes with the house. More on that soon.
Wow, those are some decisions! I would have expected chickens, but cows? 🤷♀️
Cows‽