# [[Decision fatigue]]
![[Decision fatigue can hinder creativity and productivity..svg]]
%% Tags:: [[Zettel]] [[Creativity]] [[Writing]] [[Productivity]] [[Software Development]] [[Product]]%%
- Source: [[sources/Book/How to Take Smart Notes]]
- Last Updated: [[2020-09-07]]
- Related Zettel::
- [[Create the Zettelkasten process that works for you.]]
- [[Standardizing a process makes it repeatable and efficient.]]
- [[Principle of Atomicity]]
Decision fatigue can hinder [[Creativity]] and [[Productivity]].
- A lot of the conveniences of the modern world come down to an abundance of choices. Most of us, myself included, prefer to have more choices because each choice opens up possibilities we are free to explore. Sometimes, choice can be a bad thing.
- We are inundated with choices from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. A lot of these choices are due to privilege: if you're reading this, you probably don't need to hunt and gather your own food, or worry about whether or not you and your family will have shelter for the night. This privilege affords us the luxury of making choices even about very insignificant things.
- The problem is that these choices, no matter how small they are, add up. It turns out that choice consumes mental resources, such that it is possible to exhaust them. This concept has inspired some, such as Steve Job, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama, to come up with a sartorial "uniform" just to avoid having one more choice.
- Decision fatigue manifests itself in software testing, too. [[Agile]] methodologies were inspired in part by the problem of never-ending work. Development teams felt demotivated in the face of work that extends indefinitely. One of the principles of Agile is to carve out [[Sprint]], short, two-week stretches of work produce something tangible. Teams decide up front on the scope of the work, and then it does not change. In this case, choice is certainly restricted, but the end result is a team that is motivated by the thought of a finish line. Structure ironically frees us to work at our best.
- "`In his book “The Paradox of Choice,” Barry Schwartz used numerous examples, from shopping to career options to romance, to show that less choice can not only increase our productivity, but also our freedom and make it easier to be in the moment and enjoy it (Schwartz, 2007). Not`"
- "`The biggest threat to creativity and scientific progress is therefore the opposite: a lack of structure and restrictions. Without structure, we cannot differentiate, compare or experiment with ideas. Without restrictions, we would never be forced to make the decision on what is worth pursuing and what is not.`"
%%
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