Decision Making in Marketing and Decision Fatigue

Remember how Steve Jobs dressed? Black t-shirt, blue jeans. I can’t remember seeing him dressed in anything else, ever.

Former president Barack Obama reportedly only wore two colors of suits.

“Impulse items” are placed near cash registers in grocery stores.

These examples illustrate people trying to avoid (or exploit) a phenomenon called “Decision Fatigue.” Decision Fatigue is what happens to our brains when we have to make too many big decisions during the day. As the day progresses, our brains get tired and our decision-making measurably deteriorates.

Studies have documented this effect on decisions made by parole boards (hint—don’t go before the parole board in the afternoon); on the decisions made by people living in poverty (toilet paper or food? Or hell, a damn candy bar), and on decisions made by people with impossible jobs (like the leader of a whole country).

What does this have to do with marketing?

You can guess. If you have to decide what you will say or do or where to post your marketing messages EVERY SINGLE TIME you put out some marketing, Decision Fatigue will hold you underwater.

I know. I’m experiencing it.

I agreed with my colleague, Willow Paule, to get the writing for this week’s blog post to her a week before it comes out.

I may have hit this deadline twice in the past five months.

Not because I’m a bad person. Because the part of me that handles what I write about, wants to wait to the last minute to write. It’s scared, and it also wants to see what information will float across my desk, in case this part can come up with an even more brilliant blog, even though Willow and I already worked out a year of subjects in advance (TO AVOID THIS VERY PROBLEM).

Are you having trouble marketing? You might be scared to be visible, or to make public mistakes, but I’m guessing Decision Fatigue is getting to you also. If you have to decide what to say and where to say it every single time, I’ll guarantee you’ll rapidly fall out of the habit of marketing regularly. It’s just too hard.

The solution to Decision Fatigue is two-fold.

• First, make a list of what you’ll talk about in your marketing and where you’ll post it, for the next three months. Then follow it.
• Second, have a conversation with the part of yourself that procrastinates your marketing. Find out what it wants from you. You can see the one I had below.

My Active Imagination with the Part that Doesn’t Want to Market at the Same Time Every Week

Christy: May I speak to the part of me that doesn’t want to market at the same time every week?

Part: I am here.

C: Hi. Could you tell me about yourself?

P: Sure. I’m a part that makes connections. I don’t want to mark regularly because I’ll miss the connection. Plus it’s scary.

C: What’s scary about it?

P: I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to be seen. I hate it. It feels so unsafe. 

C: Is there a way we could do this that feels safe?

P: Well – I like doing videos but I wish we did them better. But they looked better. And your hair was better. And the background. But I still hate it. I’m tired. So much push. If you would just ask the Guides about how to do all this without getting so tired. I don’t have any think or downtime. No time to make connections and read. Plus the stupid Wall Street Journal isn’t working.

C: So you want downtime to think and read?

P: Yes

C: OK. I’ll keep Thursday and Friday afternoons clear. We will read then. Do you want to go to the library to do it?

P: Maybe. Let’s see if I have to nap too.

C: OK. So if we wrote the blogs and did videos Thursday and Friday, we could market regularly?

P: Keep your promises first.

C: Fair enough. I’ll keep tomorrow and Friday’s promises and we’ll see where we are.

P: OK. Thank you.

C: Anything else?

P: There is a lot of reading and research and writing this will fuel the marketing.

C: That will be cool.

P: You’ll be surprised and happy.

Decision Fatigue is only one reason you're not marketing

Decision Fatigue is significant, but not the only reason you aren’t doing your marketing. You also need to pick marketing that you enjoy and that is congruent with your personality. You’ll learn how to do that in my Peace with Money and Marketing class.

Peace with Money and Marketing

The new Peace with Money and Marketing class starts August 20th. Click here to find out more, or here to chat with me about whether the class will help you.

In the meantime, make your most difficult decisions in the morning, take lots of breaks, and don’t shop for groceries without a list or when you’re tired.

Are you struggling with Decision Fatigue? How do you feel about decision making in marketing? Reply below; I'd love to hear more about your situation.