By the time Friday arrives so many of us feel cross eyed, somewhat brittle and near overwhelm. An entire week reacting to myriad requests, emails, interruptions, texts, and a general feeling of overwhelm, all in the service of our j-o-b-s. It’s like the citizens of Bodega Bay fending off their feathered attackers in Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ or the young, Luke Skywalker learning how to use a light saber and getting repeatedly burned because he can’t keep up.
We don’t feel a sense of accomplishment and, more importantly, we should never mistake it for accomplishment.
How many actual decisions did we make? How many times did we consciously choose A over B, knowing there could be adverse consequences if our decision didn’t work out? Real decisions carry the possibility of danger but they also represent the possibility of real change and improvement. We can hide behind ‘busyness’ but we can’t hide behind our decisions. If we’re feeling decision fatigue then it’s a signal that we’re involved and aware and showing up to make our companies and our customers better off.
Decision fatigue is a sign that our brains and hearts are working hard. But just like any form of athletic training, we’re bound to plateau unless we set new and different and difficult goals for ourselves. So let’s open up our journals this coming Sunday and write down five decisions we can make during the coming week. It’ll take some work because a true decision involves some thought and planning and, perhaps, buy-in from others.
Happy Friday to one and all. Have a great weekend. And here’s to raising our game.