Decision-Making When You’re Exhausted
Day 356 of #Live365 — December 17
Fatigue doesn’t just slow you down. It lowers the quality of your decisions.
And if you’re in a leadership role—business owner, foreman, project manager, parent, coach—your decisions are the engine that drives everything. When that engine starts misfiring, overwhelm doesn’t just show up… it multiplies.
This is a big deal because most people blame “bad decisions” on the wrong things.
They think:
“I didn’t have enough information.”
“I’m not experienced enough.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
But more often than not, the real reason is simpler:
You were exhausted.
Why exhaustion makes you choose wrong
When you’re depleted, your brain isn’t searching for clarity. It’s searching for relief.
It wants comfort. It wants speed. It wants escape. It wants “off my plate.”
That’s why exhaustion makes urgency feel smarter than intention.
You’ve probably said things like:
“I don’t know why I said yes to that.”
“I should’ve slowed down.”
“I should’ve made that call and gotten it off my plate.”
“Just throw money at it and make it go away.”
That last one gets a lot of leaders. (I’ve done it too.)
The “pressure decision” (and why we all do it)
Here’s the question that tells the truth:
Have you ever made a decision just to make the pressure go away… even though you knew it needed more time?
Most people have.
Because when you’re tired, your decision-making capacity shrinks.
What fatigue does to you:
Your patience drops
Your perspective narrows
Your emotions get louder
Everything feels urgent
Small problems feel big
Hard conversations feel heavier
Decisions feel riskier
That’s why late-night emails feel like a boulder. That’s why Friday afternoon feels like “just do it.” That’s why one more request from someone can feel like the final straw.
Fatigue doesn’t make you a bad leader.
It just makes you a reactive one.
The sneaky ways exhaustion shows up in leadership
When you’re depleted, you tend to default to short-term relief. That shows up like this:
You say yes instead of setting boundaries
You avoid hard conversations (“Let’s pick that up Monday…”)
You postpone important decisions (“I don’t have the bandwidth…”)
You rush to conclusions
You choose comfort over clarity
And here’s the trap:
Those decisions feel good temporarily…
…but they create long-term stress because now you’ve added more stuff to the pile.
You don’t need better decisions—just better timing
This might be the most powerful leadership habit of all:
Don’t make big decisions when you’re depleted.
Not because you’re weak. Because you’re smart.
You can’t lead well when your cup is empty. You can’t pour from an empty cup. And you can’t make clean decisions when your mind is fried.
So instead of forcing it, try this:
Sleep on it
Write it down
Schedule it
Come back with clarity
Delayed decisions are often better decisions—when they’re delayed for the right reason.
Not procrastination. Not avoidance.
Just wisdom.
Energy management is leadership
Most overwhelm isn’t about time. It’s about energy.
That means building recovery into your day before you need it:
Stop skipping lunch and going hammer-down all day
Take breaks like an adult, not like a machine
Protect your mornings (workout, journaling, quiet time, time with your spouse—whatever “resets” you)
Create mental margin so you don’t get cornered with your guard down
Because calm leaders make cleaner decisions. Every time.
Create rules for tired moments (so you don’t rely on willpower)
High performers use rules so they don’t rely on willpower.
Here are a few examples:
“I don’t say yes on the spot.”
“I don’t send emotional emails. I sit on it overnight.”
“I don’t make big decisions after 7:00 p.m.”
“If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no.”
“When things get tight, I pause and ask: What would I do if I wasn’t exhausted?”
Rules remove pressure from tired brains.
A quick self-audit (write these down)
If you want to get real with yourself, ask:
What decisions am I making while depleted?
Where am I defaulting to urgency instead of intention?
What conversations am I avoiding because I’m tired—or because I’m using tired as an excuse?
How would better energy management improve my leadership?
What decision do I need to pause on instead of rushing?
The commitment (simple, but powerful)
Here’s the line I want you to remember:
When I feel exhausted, I will pause—not decide.
Exhaustion doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you need recovery… not more pressure.
Protect your energy. Protect your clarity. Protect your leadership.
And if you’re reading this during a season where you feel cooked—good. That awareness is the first win.
Pause. Reset. Then decide like the leader you’re capable of being.
If this hit home, share it with another business owner who’s been running on fumes.
No comments:
Post a Comment