Decision fatigue

Decision Fatigue is a state of mental exhaustion that creeps in when you have had to make too many choices, big or small, over a prolonged period. Our brains have a finite capacity for making good decisions each day. Every choice, from what to test next to whether that tiny bit of weirdness is a genuine bug or not, slowly saps that energy. 

In software testing, we are bombarded with decisions constantly. Think about it. What test paths or customer journeys to explore. How to best report and explain a bug report. Deciding on severity. Figuring out all the steps to reproduce. Choosing which tool to use for a particular check, or even just prioritising our own workload. They all add up to drain our energy and, at varying levels, wear us down. 

You may have heard of executive dysfunction, which refers to being unable to make decisions like planning, organising, and initiating tasks. Decision fatigue is not exactly the same as executive dysfunction, but it can certainly mimic it or even make it worse. When your brain is worn out from decision-making, you find it harder to get things done. Your prioritisation skills dip, and just getting started on a task can feel like wading through treacle. It is a genuine cognitive drain that affects everyone at every level. 

The impact? You might find yourself making poorer choices, procrastinating more, becoming more irritable, or simply feeling overwhelmed by tasks that would normally seem straightforward. Recognising decision fatigue is the first step, so we can then think about how to reduce that mental load and keep our minds sharp for the important decisions. It is about protecting our mental capacity to do our best work.