Your audit reveals time costs, but the real price is higher:
Opportunity Costs While choosing a restaurant for 20 minutes, you could have: - Had a meaningful conversation - Made progress on a project - Exercised - Relaxed and recharged
Every minute spent on trivial decisions is stolen from meaningful activities.
Quality Costs Decision fatigue doesn't just waste time—it degrades outcomes: - Poor food choices when depleted - Impulse purchases you regret - Suboptimal work decisions - Relationship conflicts from irritability
Compound Costs Bad decisions create future work: - Buying wrong items means returns - Poor food choices mean guilt and correction - Rushed work means revision - Conflict means repair
One depleted decision can cost hours of cleanup.