What is decision fatigue information?

Example: You open your email and see 40 new messages. You read the first one — a request from a colleague — think 'I should reply to that,' and move to the next. You read a newsletter, think 'interesting,' and move on. You read a shipping notification, think 'okay,' and move on. Thirty minutes later you have read all 40 messages. None of them have been answered, filed, or deleted. You have consumed information without processing it. Tomorrow morning, you will re-read most of these messages and repeat the cycle. Processing would mean making a decision on each one the first time: reply now, schedule a reply, file for reference, or delete. Reading is not processing. Deciding is.

This concept is part of Information Processing in the How to Think curriculum.