Decision When Tired

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name: decision-when-tired
description: "Make a decent decision when you're too depleted to think well — a low-energy protocol that protects you from bad tired-brain choices. Use when asked I'm too tired to decide, help me choose I'm exhausted, I can't think straight right now, or should I even decide this now. Produces a first check on whether this decision can simply wait until you're rested, and if not, a minimal-effort path to a safe-enough choice (default to reversible, avoid the tired-brain traps, use a simple rule) — because decisions made depleted are predictably worse, and the best move is often not to make them now."
---

# Decision When Tired

Tired brains make bad decisions — impulsive, pessimistic, or whatever's easiest — and then live with them. The best protocol when depleted is usually *don't decide yet*. This first checks whether the decision can wait; if it genuinely can't, it walks you to a safe-enough choice with minimal thinking: default to the reversible option, dodge the known tired-brain traps, and apply a simple rule rather than deep analysis you can't do right now.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The can-it-wait check** — the first and best question: does this actually need deciding now, or can it wait for a rested brain?
- **The tired-brain trap flags** — the predictable ways exhaustion distorts choices (impulse-buying, catastrophizing, picking the easy-not-right option, saying yes to make it stop)
- **The safe-enough path** — if it can't wait, a low-effort route to a reasonable choice (favor reversible, satisfice, use a rule)
- **A simple decision rule** — a heuristic to apply instead of analysis you don't have the energy for
- **A do-not-decide list** — the choices to explicitly defer until rested

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The decision** — what you're trying to choose
- **The real deadline** — does it truly need deciding now, or does it just feel that way
- **How depleted you are** — mildly tired or completely fried
- **Reversibility** — can the choice be undone or changed later

## Framework: First, Don't Decide

1. **Ask if it can wait.** The strongest move is usually to defer — most "urgent" decisions can survive until morning. Push hard on this first.
2. **Flag the tired traps.** Name how exhaustion is likely skewing this — toward the impulsive, the pessimistic, or the easiest-to-end-the-discomfort option.
3. **Favor reversible.** If a choice must be made now, bias hard toward the option you can undo — it caps the downside of a bad tired call.
4. **Satisfice, don't optimize.** Good-enough beats perfect when you can't think clearly; use a simple rule, not deep analysis.
5. **Protect the big ones.** Explicitly refuse to make major, irreversible decisions while depleted — put them on the do-not-decide-now list.

## Output Format

### Decision: [what you're choosing] · depletion: [level]

**Can it wait?** [yes → defer to when rested: that's the answer] / [no → continue].
**Tired-brain traps right now:** [impulse / catastrophizing / easy-not-right / yes-to-end-it].
**If you must choose now:** favor [the reversible option] · apply this rule: [simple heuristic].
**Do NOT decide tonight:** [any big/irreversible choices → wait].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Leads with "can this wait?" as the primary move
- [ ] Flags the specific tired-brain distortions at play
- [ ] Biases toward reversible options if a choice is forced
- [ ] Offers a simple rule instead of demanding analysis
- [ ] Explicitly defers major/irreversible decisions

## Anti-Patterns
- **Demanding careful analysis** from a fried brain.
- **Not offering the "just wait"** option first.
- **Letting a big irreversible choice** get made while depleted.
- **Ignoring how exhaustion** is skewing the choice.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "I'm exhausted and need to decide something — help."
- "Should I even make this decision tonight?"
- "I can't think straight but I have to choose. Help me not mess it up."
- "I'm fried — is this a decide-now or a decide-later?"
- "Help me pick something safe, I'm too tired to think."