Decision Fatigue

          Right now I am juggling several projects, all at different stages and all involving very important decisions.
          There is the new house been built in Manhattan Beach where my involvement began as early as the architectural drawings stage two years ago. There is the beach-front condo in Long Beach that is going through a complete transformation. There is the Tuscan in Manhattan Beach where we are now selecting art, accessories, and rugs and putting in all the finishing touches. Those are just three of many and they all involve making choices.
          We have all been there, and it makes no difference ifCampbeldetail1.jpg we are building a house from scratch, choosing new fabrics for upholstery, or just trying to decide on colors for our walls. My clients are always amazed on my ability to help them navigate the treacherous waters of the design process. But when it came to my own home a few years ago, I turned into my own worst nightmare.
          I still remember the night my husband found me at 3 a.m. surrounded by an endless varieties of whites and creams trying to determine if my trim color should be white dove, linen white, or ivory tusk. I dragged Richard through so many granite yards in search of the perfect slab that he was very close to filing divorce papers, and I won’t even tell you what I put him through before settling on Brazilian cherry for my floors.
          But once the process began, it became easier and easier. Was I really able to determine what I wanted or had I just settled into decision fatigue?
          According to a wonderful article in The New York Times Magazine, decision fatigue is a specific type of mental exhaustion, linked directly to decision making:
 
          “The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts, usually in either of two very different ways. One shortcut is to become reckless: to act impulsively instead of expending the energy to first think through the consequences… The other shortcut is the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Instead of agonizing over decisions, avoid any choice. Ducking a decision often creates bigger problems in the long run, but for the moment, it eases the mental strain.”

           The article deals with a variety of behaviors and examples about the difficulty of selecting, picking and choosing. A few of the stories  include a panel of judges in Israel deciding who gets parole and who doesn’t, a bride planning her wedding with all the details, and a gentleman trying to select all the nuances of a custom suit – fabric, type of lining and style of buttons, lapels, cuffs and so forth.

“By the time I got through the third pile of fabric swatches, I wanted to kill myself,” the gentleman recalls. “I couldn’t tell the choices apart anymore. After a while my only response to the tailor became ‘What do you recommend?’ I just couldn’t take it.”
 
          Today’s consumer is literally bombarded with information, from shows on HGTV to the tendency to search the internet till your fingers start contorting in pain. The good news is that the possibilities are endless. Looking for a glass sink? There are thousands to choose from. Interested in mid-century modern furniture? Browse away. The bad news is that the possibilities are endless and you could end up doing nothing and learning to live with golden oak cabinets, cracked tile, and mauve walls.
 
          How do we overcome decision fatigue once we begin a decorating process? Portia, my client, who is building the house in Manhattan Beach, claims that having a designer guide her through the process is an absolute necessity and the only possible way she could have ever survive it. Although she and her husband spent lots of hours on line and in showrooms exploring their options, having someone on board who is aware of all the aspects of their project helps them focus and is instrumental in helping them make choices.
          Katie, who owns the beautiful Tuscan home in the tree section of Manhattan Beach, takes a different approach: She has me do all the pre-selections and present her with fewer choices.
          In Long Beach, Mike and Sarah have a similar approach. They know me well and, with their busy schedules, prefer having me narrow down the choices for them. Why look through 50 fabric options when I can present them with three to five is their motto.
          The best approach is still having a master plan. It will help you avoid paralysis and make better decisions if you have an idea what look you are after and what your ultimate goal is.
Here are a few ideas on how to overcome decision fatigue:
 
1-    Begin by browsing websites like houzz.com, an incredible site where designers from around the world post pictures of their projects. You can create an idea book of several of pictures that you like and share them with your designer. I have my own portfolio on the site and am always excited when my work is chosen for someone’s idea book.
 
2-    Make a wish list. This list should include everything you wish your project will encompass but also everything you don’t like about your current room. For example if you are remodeling your kitchen your list may include things like a double oven and granite counters on the wish side, and “really dislike dark cabinets” on the no side.
 
3-    Be ready to compromise. In my wish list, I really wanted an island in my kitchen, but it was clear after doing several drawings that an island was not in my future.
 
4-    Don’t make choices when you are tired or hungry. The Times article talks about a direct connection between being able to make decisions and the amount of glucose in your blood stream.  You are more likely to be able to make decisions in the first couple of hours after you have had breakfast or lunch than if it has been a few hours since you have eaten. The same rule applies to your designer: I prefer meeting with my clients early in the morning or right after lunch since they are usually more energetic and so am I.
 
5-    Don’t obsess over things that can be decided at a later stage. A few years ago I had a client who delayed her kitchen remodeling for an entire year because she had to know in advance where her bottles of vitamins would be stored.
 
The road may not be easy but once the project is finished you will be able to sit back and enjoy your new surroundings and will probably not even remember the trials and tribulations you had to conquer.
 
       Just for the record, I ended up with Ivory Tusk on my trims, a soft milky cream I absolutely love.