Decision Fatigue in Neurodivergent Individuals: Why Everyday Choices Can Feel Exhausting
During our day-to-day lives, we make approximately 35,000 decisions daily.
We may open the fridge and stare blankly inside because we can’t decide what to eat.
Maybe we have several choices, and the options themselves create more questions. What ingredients do we need? How do we even cook the meal? Should we cook something or order out? What if we can just eat a snack? What if we make something and then don’t want it?
Perhaps we spent 20 minutes in the morning trying to decide what to wear. We may try to find the right texture and colour, only to question if the top is professional enough.
To top it all off, while trying to decide what to wear, a text message comes up, and we cannot decide whether it is urgent, and if so, exactly what we should say.
We may eventually make a choice, only to question whether we made the right one.
If you have ever stared down a decision like these and felt stuck, or you have ever felt drained after making a small, everyday choice, you may be experiencing decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue can occur in anyone, but it can hit neurodivergent people much quicker.
Neurodivergent challenges can make everyday decisions more mentally demanding, especially when we are already managing sensory input, competing priorities, uncertainty, or the need to carefully consider multiple possible outcomes.
Fortunately, support is available. An international neurodivergent coach and neurodiversity-affirming therapist in Ontario, Canada, can provide support that takes these experiences into account rather than treating them as personal shortcomings.
In this edition of our neurodivergent blog, we’ll explore what decision fatigue is, how it can show up in neurodivergent individuals, why everyday choices can become exhausting, and strategies that may help reduce the number of decisions competing for your attention.
What Is Decision Fatigue?
Decision fatigue, also known as choice fatigue, involves short-term, acute mental, emotional, and physical depletion that may occur after making multiple decisions. It can also occur after spending a significant amount of time or energy trying to weigh our options.
As we make decisions throughout our day or think of our options, our cognitive resources start to become depleted. Our brain has simply reached its capacity for the day. Our ability to make decisions is reduced. We may feel like any other decision or choice in front of us is impossible.
It is not a formal diagnosis. However, we may use it to describe feeling depleted when we have too many options or have made too many decisions throughout the day.
If we are experiencing decision fatigue, we’ll likely feel better after rest and time away from making decisions. However, if this is a continuous experience for us, the indecisiveness may actually be a result of:
Long-term indecisiveness could also be the result of long-term stress that has contributed to a state of burnout.
Understanding whether you are experiencing decision fatigue or if something else is contributing to your indecisiveness can help with finding supportive strategies that fit your experiences.
Why Can Decision-Making Be More Difficult for Neurodivergent Individuals?
We all experience decision fatigue from time to time. It is natural to experience a depletion in our cognitive resources and feel tired.
For neurodivergent people, especially autistic individuals or those with ADHD or anxiety, this process generally occurs more quickly, however. This is due to differences in executive functioning, sensory processing, and emotional regulation.
Neurodivergent people have to make additional choices throughout the day to navigate a world that isn’t designed for us. This may mean that we may constantly self-monitor or adjust our decisions to please others, which can be particularly exhausting.
Why Does Decision Fatigue Happen?
There is no single reason as to why decision fatigue occurs; however, there are some common reasons for this phenomenon.
Executive Dysfunction
Executive functioning involves the mental processes that help us plan, prioritize, organize, initiate tasks, hold information in our mind, and regulate our emotions.
Decision fatigue can occur because it uses several of these processes at once.
We may need to remember our options, compare them, determine which one matters most, predict the consequences, prioritize our needs, and then act on our choice.
If our executive functioning demands are already high or we experience executive dysfunction, even one additional decision can feel very overwhelming.
Too Many Options
When we have too many options, we may experience choice paralysis or an inability to decide because of too many choices. We may become stuck comparing every possible option instead of choosing one, which can contribute to decision fatigue.
Individuals who work in demanding jobs where a lot of decisions have to be made every day, such as judges, surgeons, or teachers, may be more likely to experience decision fatigue.
Caregiving
If our decisions are more likely to impact other people, such as our partner, children, or employees, decision fatigue may be more likely to occur. We may worry about how the decision impacts them and have a difficult time making a decision because of the worry.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is a personality trait that is characterized by trying to strive for perfection. We may also be extremely self-critical and never allow ourselves to make a mistake.
If we are a perfectionist, we may feel that we always need to make the perfect decision rather than just making any decision. As a result, even simple choices can become exhausting because we’re thinking through every possible failure.
We may research every option, compare reviews, ask several people for their opinions, or repeatedly reconsider our choice.
Masking and Social Decisions
For some neurodivergent people, social interactions involve considerable conscious processing.
We may engage in masking as we spend energy thinking about what facial expression to make, how long to maintain eye contact, what tone to use, when to speak, what someone meant, or whether our response was socially appropriate. These decisions can still require significant cognitive energy.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty can make decisions more difficult when you cannot predict what will happen after you choose.
We may think about whether we will regret the decision or if there is a better decision later. We may also worry we have made the wrong choice or whether or not someone else will be disappointed.
The decision can become more difficult because we are trying to predict the future instead of just choosing between the present options.
Life Challenges
Deciding what to wear may not seem difficult at times. However, if we are planning for a memorial service, this decision may become much more complex. We may worry if the clothes are good enough for the service or whether another family member will have something to say. Suddenly, an everyday choice seems much more impossible.
Sensory Needs
Many neurodivergent individuals have sensory needs that can be impacted by the type of decisions they make. For example, choosing a specific piece of clothing or food can require us to account for texture, noise, lighting, temperature, smells, crowds, or other sensory experiences.
A decision that appears straightforward from the outside may therefore involve considerably more information for us neurodivergent individuals.
If you are experiencing decision fatigue, it is likely that one of these reasons is the culprit. But let’s explore how you can when you are experiencing decision fatigue.
What Are the Signs of Decision Fatigue?
Decision fatigue differs from person to person. Nonetheless, we’ve compiled a list of common signs of decision fatigue for your reference.
Avoidance: Procrastinating or avoiding decisions, people, or situations altogether
Impulsivity: Making impulsive or random choices and being less careful with our choices after we’ve been making decisions all day
Fatigue: Feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted
Brain fog: Feeling as if we can’t remember our train of thought, forgetting names, getting easily distracted, or having trouble finishing our sentences
Physical symptoms of discomfort: Making constant decisions can cause stress, which can lead to physical symptoms such as stomach aches, eye twitching, nausea, or tension headaches.
Dissociation: Mentally checking out and letting others decide everything
Guilt or regret: Continuous rumination about your decisions for hours and questioning whether you made the right call.
Meltdowns: Feeling overwhelmed by small choices and having a difficult time regulating your emotions
Remember that decision fatigue is also a short-term and acute experience, so if you are experiencing these symptoms as an everyday occurrence, you may want to check in with a healthcare professional to determine if it is something more chronic.
How to Reduce Decision Fatigue and Simplify Choices
Different strategies may support different individuals, but overall these focus on building our toolkit so that we can make decisions more manageable and reduce mental effort so we have more capacity for the decisions that actually matter to us.
What works will depend on our brain, energy, responsibilities, and the supports available to us. We also may find that some strategies work well on high-energy days but need to be adjusted when we are tired, overwhelmed, or experiencing burnout.
Remove Unnecessary Choices
Some of the most successful people have shared that they listen to the same radio station every day or they wear similar clothes on a day-to-day basis. If you want to reduce mental fatigue, some decisions may have to be automated. Some choices can be removed altogether.
For example, you may rotate between a few favourite breakfasts or lunches. We can also:
Wear a small selection of outfits you already know you like.
Have a few reliable meals for low-energy days.
Choose a default podcast, playlist, or route for your commute.
Use subscriptions for items you purchase regularly.
Create standard responses for common emails or messages.
When some decisions are already premade, or they have a set template, we are not forced to make every decision from scratch. These defaults can reduce the time our brain spends on choices and save us energy to make the decisions that genuinely require our attention.
Exercise
I know, I know, exercise seems fairly annoying and basic. We have probably heard this for a hundred other things. But exercise truly is good for our brain. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that even engaging in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and a three-minute break after this half hour could help to improve executive functioning.
Can’t exercise for this long? Is the intensity too high? That’s okay. Try any exercise. It is better than nothing.
Delegate
The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management technique that breaks tasks into four categories:
Do First (Urgent and Important)
Schedule / Decide (Important, Not Urgent)
Delegate (Urgent, Not Important)
Delete / Don't Do (Neither Urgent Nor Important)
This matrix allows us to recognize that we can’t do everything and that not every decision is ours to make or carry.
Sometimes, we can let the decision go to someone else. This is especially important for those of you who are perfectionists or caregivers. We need to recognize that it is okay to make a mistake and let others take care of their own decisions for once.
Plan Decisions During High Energy Days
When you are tired or overloaded, some decisions may be much more difficult to make. To try to avoid the need to make important decisions on low-energy days, plan during higher-energy periods.
For example, we might prepare lunches, lay out our clothes for the week, or run errands on the days our energy is highest.
We could also batch decisions. Instead of continuously having to decide when to complete a task, we can set up specific times for administrative work, scheduling, or meal planning together. This helps to make decisions once instead of repeatedly having to revisit them.
Reduce Your Options
Sometimes, having more options is not as helpful as we may think. If we are trying to decide what to eat, we may find it more difficult if we are trying to choose between ten different meals, as this can require more mental effort than choosing between two or three familiar options.
Try creating smaller personal menus for recurring decisions:
Three breakfasts you enjoy.
Five easy dinners for low-energy days.
A few reliable outfits.
Two or three ways to spend a free evening.
A short list of restaurants or takeout options you already know work for you.
We can still choose something outside our usual options when you want to, but we want to reduce the number of choices we have to sort through when we do not have much decision-making capacity.
Make Sleep a Priority
Sleep is an important factor in making sound decisions.
Research shows that we may make better decisions earlier in the day after we have had some time to deliberate (sleep on it!).
This also shows that we are more likely to make unethical and immoral decisions, have lower impulse control, and have reduced emotional regulation skills when sleep-deprived.
So, if you are facing a difficult decision, make the effort to sleep so that your decisions are more likely to be sound and less likely to be based on decision fatigue.
Create Supportive Routines
Having predictable routines can reduce the pressure of constantly figuring out what comes next.
You could designate certain meals for certain days, such as Taco Tuesday, or create a predictable morning routine that you can follow without having to make several choices as soon as you wake up.
Routines do not have to be rigid. They can provide a starting point that you can adjust when your needs or capacity change.
Externalize Decisions
Let’s face it: we all forget it. The human brain is not without fault. Even if we have the best memory, we will likely need to externalize our decisions.
We can’t expect ourselves to hold all the plans, reminders, options, and unfinished decisions in our heads. Moving them somewhere visible can reduce that load. What works will depend on the individual’s needs, but here are some common organization tools to consider:
Checklists
Visual schedules
Flowcharts
Notes apps
Timers
Calendars
Sticky notes
Project-management tools
Written decision trees
When the information exists outside your head, you do not have to keep remembering and re-deciding it.
Support Your Body
We may think that decision-making is solely a mental process, and we’d be wrong. Our physical experiences and well-being can also impact how much capacity we have available to make decisions.
When you are struggling with a decision, sometimes it helps to go back to the basics. Regular food, hydration, sleep, movement, and opportunities for physical recovery can all be part of supporting your overall capacity. We could:
Eat regularly rather than waiting until you are extremely hungry.
Keep easy, familiar foods available for low-energy days.
Protect our sleep when possible.
Move our body in ways that feel accessible and enjoyable.
Take short movement breaks during periods of prolonged sitting or concentration.
Notice whether certain times of day consistently come with lower capacity.
These supports make it easier to navigate the demands that contribute to decision fatigue.
Manage Stress
If we are already overwhelmed, making another decision can feel like the final straw that pushes our brain into a state of shutdown. We may not be able to handle anything else.
In these moments, we could focus on finding ways to manage ongoing stress to help improve our available cognitive and emotional capacity.
This might involve neurodiversity-affirming therapy or coaching, boundaries, sensory supports, movement, time with people you trust, creative activities, or other forms of regulation that work for you.
The most useful strategy will depend on what is contributing to your stress in the first place, so learning your triggers for decision fatigue and stress may also help.
Build in Downtime
Trying to make decisions every moment of the day is a sure-fire way to cause decision fatigue.
Creating periods of low-demand time can give you an opportunity to recover from the constant effort of choosing, planning, prioritizing, and responding.
Downtime may differ from person to person, but it can consist of watching a familiar show, listening to music, sitting somewhere quiet, taking a walk, doing a repetitive activity, or spending time with someone.
Create Decision-Free Zones
A decision-free zone is an area that we intentionally create or a period of our day where we purposely make fewer decisions.
For example, we might have a predictable morning routine, a low-demand lunch break, or an evening routine that relies on familiar choices.
We could even create a “default mode” day when our capacity is particularly low, with familiar meals, comfortable clothing, fewer commitments, and a short list of essential tasks.
Having a plan for low-capacity days can be especially helpful because we do not have to invent a support system while we are already overwhelmed.
Take Mental Breaks When You Notice Decision Fatigue
Pay attention to the signs of low decision-making capacity, including:
Staring at several options without being able to choose
Avoiding a decision you normally would not find difficult
Becoming unusually irritable
Feeling overwhelmed by simple questions
Wanting someone else to decide everything
Making impulsive choices just so the decision is over
Second-guessing choices you have already made
When this happens, consider taking a mental break.
Lower the Starting Threshold
Decision fatigue can overlap with difficulty getting started, also known as task paralysis in individuals with ADHD. This is particularly common when a task feels large or complicated.
Instead of deciding how to complete the entire task, identify the smallest possible first step.
For example, you may decide to just open the document instead of writing the report.
Reducing the size of the first decision can make it easier to begin without requiring us to figure everything out at once.
Celebrate the Decisions You Made
Getting dressed, answering a message, deciding what to eat, choosing whether to attend an event, or figuring out what task to work on next can all require mental effort.
Try to notice what you did manage to decide rather than only focusing on the choices you avoided or struggled with.
What If the Decision Fatigue Isn’t Short-Term?
Decision fatigue is generally temporary and can improve when you have an opportunity to recover or develop strategies with a coach or therapist to manage your decision-making.
However, persistent difficulty making decisions can sometimes overlap with other experiences, including anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, or chronic stress.
If you regularly feel unable to make even everyday decisions, are avoiding important responsibilities, or feel exhausted by basic tasks, it may be something more chronic.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Support for Decision Fatigue
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy or coaching for decision fatigue focuses on reducing unnecessary cognitive load rather than expecting you to simply try harder. During our sessions with a coach or therapist, we may explore all things related to decision fatigue, including:
Executive functioning and task initiation
Perfectionism and decision-making
Emotional regulation
Sensory needs
Boundaries and competing demands
Burnout and reduced capacity
Self-advocacy
Routines and external supports
Strategies that work with your individual brain
The goal of neurodiversity-affirming therapy is to identify what makes everyday life more manageable for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Decision Fatigue
Is decision fatigue a diagnosis?
No. Decision fatigue is not a formal medical or mental health diagnosis. It is a term used to describe the mental and emotional exhaustion that can occur after making many decisions or dealing with demanding choices.
Is decision fatigue an ADHD symptom?
Decision fatigue is not an official diagnostic symptom of ADHD. However, ADHD-related differences in executive functioning can make certain types of decision-making more effortful, which may contribute to experiences of decision fatigue.
Can autistic people experience decision fatigue?
Yes. Autistic people can experience decision fatigue. Sensory considerations, uncertainty, changes to routines, social decision-making, and unclear expectations may all contribute to the amount of mental effort involved in certain choices.
Why can small decisions feel so difficult?
A decision may look small from the outside while involving many different considerations internally. Your available energy, sensory needs, executive functioning, stress level, and the number of decisions you have already made that day can all affect how difficult a choice feels.
Why do I make worse decisions when I am tired?
Mental fatigue can make it more difficult to evaluate options, prioritize information, regulate emotions, and consider longer-term consequences. You may therefore be more likely to avoid a decision, choose impulsively, or simply pick an option so you can stop thinking about it.
Can decision fatigue cause procrastination?
It can contribute to decision avoidance and procrastination. If you are overwhelmed by the number of options involved in a task, avoiding the task can temporarily remove the pressure of having to decide what to do.
How is decision fatigue different from burnout?
Decision fatigue generally refers to exhaustion related to making decisions and may improve after rest or a reduction in decision-making demands. Burnout is a broader experience involving prolonged stress and reduced capacity, and it can affect many areas of daily life. If decision fatigue is happening alongside ongoing exhaustion, reduced functioning, emotional changes, or difficulty recovering even after rest, there may be more happening than decision fatigue alone.
Book a Free Consultation
Are you feeling fatigue after making decisions? Do you experience challenges with trying to figure out which decisions to prioritize?
Is decision fatigue making everyday life feel overwhelming? You do not have to navigate it alone.
At Blue Sky Learning, we have a team of neurodiversity-affirming therapists and coaches who provide neurodiversity-affirming support to help you better understand your experiences, identify your needs, and develop strategies that work with your brain.
Source
Cleveland Clinic. “8 Signs of Decision Fatigue and How to Cope.”
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