How To Take Better Decisions And Increase Conversions Using Energy Management Principles

The fable of Buridan's Ass is a famous paradox in philosophy. The story goes like this:

There is a donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty. While walking down the road, it finds a stack of hay and a pail of water at equal distances on both sides of the road.

Unable to decide which way to go, it dies of both hunger and thirst in the middle of the road.

Why you always feel so mentally drained at the end of the day.

During an average day, we face over 35,000 choices.

Most are minor, but others can have life-changing consequences, like accepting or rejecting a job offer.

No matter the size of these decisions. Each one takes up the brain fuel we need to make well-thought-out decisions.

It's not just our mood that changes as we use our energy reserves, but our judgment too.

The creator economy is an exciting space. It's constantly evolving with new platforms and new opportunities.

As you grow, you will have to make some tough decisions about where your business should focus:

• Should you try paid advertising or organic growth tactics?

• Should you niche down or try to appeal to a broader audience?

• Should you use an established software platform or a custom solution?

The good news is that there are ways you can improve your decision-making skills by optimizing your brain's energy levels.

Our decision-making ability gets weaker with each use — but there are some strategies we can use to keep our brainpower strong.

Because the number of decisions we make and our mental energy level are directly related, there are two approaches we can take to keep razor-sharp clarity during the day.

Reducing the number of decisions made during the day is one of them, but most of the time, decisions are inevitable.

What if we had a method to keep our energy levels high and have razor-sharp clarity during the day?

Energize your work and life with Values-Based Decisions

Sleep, diet, exercise. All three are science-backed methods to boost our energy. But we can only sometimes rely on them.

A bad night of sleep can kill your focus, and a big meal will make you comatose. But acting out our values will make you feel invigorated no matter what.

When we are asked what our values are, we give vague answers like "spending more time with my family," but only by specifying these values can we begin to live according to them.

You become what you act out – A framework to find your values and put them to work

n their book The Power of Full Engagement, authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz offer a 3-step process for defining your values and putting them into action:

Step #1 Awareness

You gain awareness by exploring the values that most resonate with you.

This is a challenging task, and it might take a while.

Here are three prompt questions to start surfacing your core values.

• If today was the last day you had to live, what are three important lessons you have learned?

• What are three traits of someone you admire?

• What is the one quote you will never forget?

Step #2 Face the truth

To avoid wishful thinking, start by noticing which of your current behaviors contradict the values you want to embody.

Start by journaling and keep in mind the common ways we lie to ourselves:

1. Denial and numbing out with addictions

2. Rationalization "I was mean because I was stressed."

3. Projecting on others our own flaws

Sometimes, the best way of facing the truth is analyzing how we treat others.

Step #3 Automate with rituals

Values in action become virtues.

Rituals are repeatable actions that make us embody our values.

When these non-negotiables align with our values, they will recharge us and structure our lives.

Over time, these actions will become habits that require little cognitive thought, freeing up your energy for more important things.

Long-lasting rituals should be:

• Incremental

• Specific in time

• Framed positively

Energized customers take action – Catalyze customer intent with energy-preserving techniques.

When we feel drained, most of us start to neglect, ignore, or avoid decisions altogether.

A frictionless experience that requires your customers to make as few decisions as possible will make it easier for them to convert.

Here are some techniques:

Smart defaults

Smart defaults are tailored defaults that use data provided by a user or make an accurate guess on their response. Defaults should always be set to the choice the vast majority of users would choose if explicit choices were required.

Hicks Law

The more choices, the more time users take to make their decisions. Having too many options can lead to a paradox of choice (and a churn!).

Progressive disclosure

Spark effect

Users are more likely to take action when the effort is small, increasing the chances users will interact with the product.

Account creation, paywalls, walkthroughs; all of them create unnecessary friction before a user experiences value.

Feedforward

Feedforward lets users know what will happen after they take action. Minimizing uncertainty by explaining what will happen next is especially important before payment.

The takeaway.

Remember that making the right decision only sometimes leads to the best outcome but will increase your chances of getting there faster.

Energy management is an easy skill to add to your stack that many overlook and can become your unfair advantage.

Being efficient and productive is only possible with it.

So learn to manage your energy well!

Take care,

Elias

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