Managing Decision Fatigue for Technical Directors and Project Managers

Introduction

I've previously discussed?Content Shifting?and why minimising distractions is essential, allowing developers to retain focus and ensuring time isn't wasted with context shifting. However, for this post, I wish to discuss a more insidious issue that confronts us daily.

From the nearly 90,000 drink combinations available at Starbucks to the thousands of viewing choices on Netflix or Amazon Prime, we make more and more trivial daily choices. So it's hardly surprising that we're more likely to allow others to make decisions for us at the end of a busy day.

This phenomenon is called?Decision fatigue, and it has serious consequences. It means we can quickly lose the ability to make choices and need time to recharge.

What are the effects?

When managing developers or any team, it's essential to understand how to get the most out of them. One crucial skill is the ability to spot decision fatigue.

Increased Impulsivity

Seen or a poorly written email It's most likely the author has skipped a review because they're overworked. Impulsivity increases with fatigue, and it's the reason retailers place sweets found near the checkout.

Reduced Mindfulness

Have you ever received a curt reply from an overworked colleague? Self-regulation requires effort. Even affairs are linked to jobs associated with decision-makers.

Making Bad Choices

We're bombarded with optional extras before paying for expensive items. This is because we spent our energy on the initial decision, leaving less room for the smaller choices. Retailers know this, and it's why they have a larger markup on these items.

Avoiding Decision

Research has shown?that people are likelier to say no when confronted with overwhelming options. While too many options may sound like a?first-world problem,?people are often more comfortable with less.

How can help my team?

Developers are required to make thousands of decisions when writing software. These decisions range from the trivial, such as the access level and naming method and properties, to the straightforward, such as when to start refactoring code, and the complex, such as how to apply the SOLID Principles. They all tax the limited pool of decisions we can make.

Exercise

Ensure regular breaks are made; this is especially true of offices that discourage leaving your desk. Be they on estates or above two levels of a building, and studies have shown that walking can even increase your?creativity. Here, a chill-out area isn't a luxury. It's a must.

However, please don't use this as an opportunity to distract them. As a developer, you're always trying to achieve and stay in a state of Flow. This is critical to productivity, but that's a post for another day.

Good decisions?trump bad

Worse still, some will use decision fatigue to pressure developers to commit to unrealistic deadlines: "I'm looking at the Project Managers here.” Remember, you can always ship buggy software, but it will only require more releases later. It is far better to remove features than try to get a client sign-off for bugs you've shipped.

Experience helps

With experience, we know the cost of decision lessons, so always ensure that juniors have access to a senior developer. However, if seniors are busy working on more complex problems, they will also require more senior resources and won't be free to help the juniors.

Smooth out the peaks

Prepare your team by introducing them slowly to information. Allow them time to absorb the information at a reasonable pace. If your developers have encountered a project for the first time at the kick-off meeting, expect them to be overwhelmed. A better choice would be to engage them earlier. Not only will they make better decisions, but they will also be more committed to a project.

Smaller Earlier

However, the best advice I can give is to lessen the cost of decisions by breaking them down and making them earlier. This is the role of a Technical Architect. However, it's too often considered a Luxury, especially on agile projects, where it’s the first resource to be dropped.

What can I do

We all need to understand how fatigue affects us. However, prevention is often better, and I've shared some practical ideas to help you make the best choices.

Eat well

Sugary drinks and sweets will give you a boost. However, this is a temporary fix that can result in?reactive hypoglycemia, which can put you into reverse and force you to make even worse choices. Try healthy snacks low in GI, such as nuts and wholemeal sandwiches. Hydration is also essential, not simply because it forces you to walk. However, try sparkling water as an alternative to Coke.

Have a routine

Finally, I'd like you to establish a routine and try to make your choices earlier. You can start by choosing your clothes the night before. Don't stand in Subway thinking about your choice of bread and Sauce. You also need time to digest food; the larger the meal, the more energy is required. Better yet, go for multiple small meals rather than one large one.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness?is the state achieved when one focuses on the present moment. It's a Meditative practice derived from Eastern philosophies that has been shown to help treat depression, stress, and drug addiction.

Conclusion.

The brain is a mysterious lump of pink fat, so it's no wonder we have trouble maintaining peak efficiency. Some people even believe we are a rational species. However, research has shown that this is far from always true.

However, understanding is the first stage; with simple modifications, everyone can increase productivity. It's also important to remember that factors outside work, such as stress and illness, will affect us. We all need to be aware of ourselves and others.

Please feel free to like, share or comment on my post and leave any feedback in the comments. Also, check out some posts that are similar to mine.

Utilizing Flow Managing decision fatigue.

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