DEVELOPMENT
A framework for complex decisions For decision-making under pressure, you need a structured approach like the POINT framework:
n Permission: Who actually has authority to make this decision? Clarifying decision rights first saves enormous time and anxiety. n Zoom out: How does this decision fit the bigger picture? Looking at strategic goals and longerterm implications transforms how you evaluate choices. n Zoom in: What specific details actually matter? Sometimes we’ re drowning in information whilst missing the key metric that matters most. n Noise: What’ s interfering with your clear thinking? Are you being influenced by the most recent complaint rather than the actual pattern? Recognising when bias might be affecting your judgement creates space for better thinking. n Test: What’ s the first small step you can take? Rather than committing to massive changes, test with reversible, low-consequence actions.
The EAs who manage decision fatigue best have developed specific routines that preserve their mental bandwidth for genuinely important choices.
Muddy puddles versus leaky ceilings Not every issue deserves your immediate attention. Author James Clear offers a helpful distinction when he says:“ Some situations are muddy puddles, others are leaky ceilings.”
Muddy puddles resolve themselves if left alone. Two team members have a minor disagreement but they’ ll sort it out without your intervention. Leaky ceilings worsen if ignored. A small scheduling error that will cascade into conflicts across departments. The supplier relationship that’ s fraying and will damage your reputation if not addressed.
Quickly categorising issues saves enormous mental bandwidth because you’ re not treating every bump as a crisis.
Working with AI without losing your edge AI tools can reduce decision load through automating, drafting and summarising but they often create new challenges.
Where AI struggles most is precisely where you excel – reading subtle social cues, understanding unspoken priorities, navigating complex relationship dynamics and making context-rich decisions that require institutional knowledge.
Practical habits that preserve mental bandwidth The EAs who manage decision fatigue best have developed specific routines:
QUICK DECISION AUDIT
Ask yourself these questions to spot decision fatigue patterns:
n What time of day do you make your best decisions? n Which types of decisions drain you most? n What recurring decisions could you systemise? n Where do you waste mental energy on things that don’ t matter? n What would happen if you delayed this decision by 24 hours?
Use your answers to restructure your day around your natural decisionmaking rhythms.
n Decision-free after 3pm: Handle your most important thinking before decision fatigue sets in. n Standardise the standardisable: Every decision you automate through good systems is mental energy saved for genuinely important choices. n Batch similar tasks and decisions: The mental cost of context-switching is higher than most people realise. n Build in pause points: Before responding to urgent requests, take three deep breaths. Even a 30-second pause can prevent poor decisions under pressure. n Track your decision quality: Notice when you make your best calls versus your worst. Write them down. Awareness of your patterns helps you compensate and plan accordingly.
The strategic power of saying no One of the most powerful tools for managing decision fatigue is also one of the hardest to use … The word‘ no’. The key is reframing no as protection of strategic priorities rather than personal preference.
Having a stronger‘ yes’ makes saying no easier. When you’ re clear on what truly matters, declining requests that don’ t serve those priorities becomes straightforward rather than agonising.
Looking forward The only constant has always been change. You’ ll thrive by recognising that your most valuable asset isn’ t your ability to handle everything thrown at you but your capacity to think clearly under pressure.
Good decision-making isn’ t about having perfect information or unlimited time. Sometimes the bravest choice is simply to choose, take action on that next right step and trust the foundation you’ ve built through thousands of small, solid decisions. When everyone has access to the same AI tools and information, your ability to cut through noise and act decisively will become your greatest professional advantage. S bethanwinn. com. au
THE EXPERT
Bethan is a critical thinking specialist and author of The Human Edge: Critical Thinking in the Age of AI. Based in Perth, Western Australia, she works with organisations globally to develop thinking skills needed to thrive in today’ s workplace.
Summer Issue 2026 | Executive PA 45