🦾 Decision Fatigue: The Hidden Performance Killer You're Ignoring

Hey Insider,

The Collapse

It was 4:30 PM on a Thursday when I watched one of our top performers self-destruct on a critical call.

Alex had crushed it all day – closed two deals before lunch and advanced three more opportunities. By all accounts, a stellar day.

Then came the afternoon demo with a high-value prospect. The meeting started well, but when the prospect asked for pricing concessions, Alex's response was baffling.

Instead of holding firm or navigating the objection with his usual skill, he immediately caved, offering a discount we never give, then fumbled through contradictory statements about implementation timelines.

The prospect, sensing weakness, pushed harder. Alex folded completely.

Later, Alex couldn't even explain his actions. "I don't know what happened. It was like my brain just... quit."

Hard truth:

Your mental energy is a finite resource that depletes with every decision you make.

This is decision fatigue – the scientifically proven deterioration of decision quality after making a series of choices, regardless of how important they are.

And it's killing your sales performance.

The transformation insight:

Elite sales performers aren't just good decision-makers; they're strategic about WHEN and HOW they make decisions.

Our research with top closers reveals something fascinating: They don't have better willpower than average performers – they just structure their days to protect their decision-making energy for high-stakes moments.

The Energy Management Framework:

1. Identify your power zones Most people have 2-3 hours when their mental energy peaks. For 71% of people, it's within 2-3 hours of waking up. Identify yours and protect it ferociously.

2. Eliminate low-value decisions What routine decisions can you automate? What Steve Jobs understood with his daily uniform wasn't fashion – it was eliminating a decision that drained mental energy.

3. Create decision templates Top performers have pre-made frameworks for common objections and negotiation scenarios. They're not thinking from scratch – they're executing a plan.

4. Build physical recovery triggers Your brain and body are connected. A 90-second physical reset (deep breathing, quick movement) can temporarily restore decision-making capacity when fatigue hits.

The fitness connection:

Your brain burns glucose when making decisions – the same fuel your muscles need for physical performance.

Here's what nobody tells you: Studies show that glucose depletion significantly impairs self-control and decision quality.

That 3PM crash where you suddenly can't hold firm on pricing? It's not a character flaw – it's physiology.

Small, protein-rich meals every 3-4 hours maintain stable blood sugar and stable decision-making. The difference between a strategic meal timing plan and random eating can be a 37% performance swing in afternoon calls.

Think you're different?

"But Ken, I make my best decisions under pressure!"

The data says otherwise. In analysis of 10,000+ sales calls, closing effectiveness dropped by 37% in the final two hours of the workday compared to the first two hours.

What feels like "clutch performance" is often just your perception, not reality.

Sales Fit Challenge:

For one week, track these three things:

1. When you made pricing concessions you later regretted

2. When you sent messages you wished you could take back

3. When you failed to push back when you should have

Then restructure your calendar to place your most important sales conversations during your peak mental energy periods.

Our clients report not just higher close rates but fewer regretted decisions and dramatically lower stress levels.

Remember: The best sales professionals don't have more mental energy – they just invest it where it matters most.

What time of day do you make your best decisions? Reply and let me know.

Win the Day! Ken Lundin