Do you ever get frustrated when people can’t make up their minds and leave you hanging?

Sometimes a bad decision is better than no decision—at least you can pivot and course-correct. Yet people still hesitate. Why not just pull the trigger?

Turns out, decision-making is hard work. It’s mentally taxing, whether we admit it or not.

Even Great Leaders Limit Their Decisions

Jeff Bezos keeps himself healthy and well-rested to handle the three big decisions he makes each day.

Steve Jobs famously wore the same jeans-and-turtleneck outfit daily—just to eliminate wardrobe decisions.

Why? Because decision fatigue is real.

The Shift from Excitement to Pressure

In my twenties, I found decision-making exciting. Every choice felt like an adventure or a shortcut to the future. It was liberating and empowering.

But as I got older, the cost of bad decisions became clear. With family responsibilities and financial stakes rising, the stress of deciding increased. Risk management replaced thrill-seeking.

The Real Challenge: Making Good Decisions

Making a decision can be as easy as flipping a coin.

Making the right decision—now that’s the hard part.

I once worked under Monsieur Yoncourt, a seasoned French bank CEO, who would end meetings with: “Let me sleep on it. A good decision is better than a fast decision.”

Sleeping on a decision is painful—not only for those waiting but also for the decision-maker who sits with uncertainty.

Why? Because the brain is still working—subconsciously processing complex information:

• Verbal and written cues
• Body language and tone of voice
• Internal context and external conditions

Even gut instincts play a role. Your body knows more than your conscious mind sometimes.

Why Decision-Making Drains You

Making decisions literally burns calories. That’s why AI data centers demand so much energy. (Microsoft’s growing AI footprint recently triggered a $1.6 billion nuclear energy investment by Constellation Energy in Pennsylvania.)

Human decision-making is costly—because the brain is a power-hungry machine.

Your Personality Influences Your Speed to Decide

Some of us are “high fact-finders,” as measured by the Kolbe personality profile. We gather more data, which demands more energy and leads to quicker decision fatigue.

Others are “low fact-finders”—quick to decide, less concerned with data. Their decisions aren’t always better—just faster. And they may make more mistakes.

How to Improve Your Decision-Making Process

Here’s what I recommend:

• Get Kolbe-profiled and understand your instinctive strengths.

If you’re a high fact-finder:

• Practice making decisions with less information.
• Delegate more to reduce mental load.

If you’re a low fact-finder:

• Slow down.
• Get curious.
• Be deliberate.

Regardless of your type, learn to trust your gut.

Compare intuition to common sense.

Question crowd opinions—social proof isn’t always right.

Advanced Strategy: Play Devil’s Advocate

Try arguing the opposite of your own opinion. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

The truth usually lives in that tension.

Decision-Making Is a Skill Worth Mastering

Yes, making decisions is hard work. But making superior decisions? That’s worth almost any price.