Decision Fatigue & Leadership: Why the Best Leaders Do Less

Ezra Lee
May 28
3 min read

If you’re a high-performing executive, chances are your day begins with rapid-fire decisions, and rarely slows down. From morning inbox triage to back-to-back meetings, leadership can feel like a constant act of prioritization under pressure.

But behind the relentless pace, something deeper is happening: your decision-making capacity is a finite resource, and it’s silently being depleted throughout the day.

Welcome to the hidden tax of leadership: decision fatigue.

What Is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue refers to the mental exhaustion caused by making too many decisions in a short period of time, often leading to impaired judgment, procrastination, or impulsivity. It’s not just about being tired: it’s about how our brains handle choice.

“You cannot make good decisions if you’re exhausted from making too many decisions.” – Dr. Roy Baumeister, leading decision fatigue researcher

This is particularly costly for executives, who are expected to operate at peak performance while managing complex, high-stakes choices.

According to studies from Columbia University (source), even experienced professionals show declining decision quality over time - judges, for example, are significantly less likely to grant parole later in the day. That same drop in clarity applies to leaders when they’re overloaded.

The Real Cost of Over-Deciding

Unchecked decision fatigue doesn't just lead to mental weariness. It chips away at executive presence, strategic focus, and personal well-being.

When your day is filled with micro-decisions - What meeting to attend? What wording to use? What email to reply to? - you drain the cognitive reserves needed for big-picture strategy.

And often, you don’t realize it until you're reacting instead of leading.

Signs you're facing decision fatigue:

Constantly second-guessing your choices
Delaying simple decisions
Feeling mentally “full” by midday
Delegating inconsistently
Becoming emotionally short or avoidant

Why the Best Leaders Do Less

The most effective leaders aren’t the ones making more decisions. They’re the ones designing their lives and teams to make fewer, better decisions.

This is where frameworks like Essentialism (by Greg McKeown) and Decision Design come into play. The core idea? Not everything is important. High-impact leaders ruthlessly prioritize what only they can do, and delegate or eliminate the rest.

“If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will.” – Greg McKeown, Essentialism

3 Strategies to Reduce Decision Fatigue & Reclaim Clarity

1. Create Daily “No-Decision” Zones

Establish routines and rituals for the first 90 minutes of your day and the last 30. This reduces low-level decision-making and protects your cognitive bandwidth.

💡 Pro tip: CEOs like Barack Obama and Steve Jobs famously wore the same outfits daily to reduce mental clutter.

2. Delegate Through Decision Filters

Empower your team to make decisions by setting clear criteria. Instead of micromanaging, share your thinking frameworks: “If it’s under £5k and aligned with X priority, you don’t need to check with me.”

This fosters autonomy and protects your mental load.

3. Adopt Essentialist Planning

Each week, identify your 3 most important strategic outcomes. Anything that doesn’t directly serve those outcomes is either delegated, delayed, or deleted.

The Role of Coaching in Decision Clarity

As an executive, it can be hard to recognize the weight of decision fatigue until it becomes burnout. A coach offers perspective - a structured space to step back, sort through competing demands, and clarify what truly matters.

Coaching helps leaders refine their thinking, cut through complexity, and lead with intention rather than reaction.

It’s not about doing less for the sake of laziness. It’s about doing less of what doesn’t matter, so you can do more of what does.

Ready to Lead With More Clarity and Less Exhaustion?

Here’s your next move:

Book a Free Leadership Clarity Call – we’ll audit your current decision landscape and identify 2-3 leverage points.
Work Together to Build Strategic Space – coaching helps you optimize your thinking, not just your calendar.