Why does decision fatigue matter when I am treatment planning big cases?
Because your judgment degrades as the day wears on, and treatment planning is exactly the kind of dense, high-stakes thinking that suffers first. By late afternoon or evening you are running on fumes, and that is when shortcuts and sloppy decisions creep into plans your patients are betting their mouths and their money on. So protect that work. Group your treatment planning into the early part of the day and batch it together so you stay in planning mode instead of switching gears all day long. While you are at it, book the patient’s case presentation earlier in the day too, because their decision fatigue is real as well, and a tired patient makes worse decisions. Treat your own mental energy like a clinical resource. Spend it on the hard thinking when you actually have it.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.