Body of Knowledge · Glossary
Ego depletion
The contested claim that self-control and decision quality draw on a limited resource that runs down through the day. A large multi-laboratory replication did not find the effect. The practical advice that survives rests on the recovery research instead.
Where the standard develops it
- CC-6Self-managementThe manager's own time, energy, boundaries, and resilience.
Related terms
- Burnout
- Exhaustion, cynicism and reduced efficacy caused by the conditions of the job (workload, control, reward, community, fairness, values) rather than by a shortage of individual resilience.
- Recovery
- The experiences through which people recuperate from work (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, control over one's time).
- Self-management
- The manager's judgment applied to the manager.
- Time log
- Two weeks of recording every hour as it is spent, then comparing the record with what the team needs.
Cite this definition
Chicago, BibTeX and licence →Engineering Management Academy. (2026). Ego depletion. In Engineering Management Academy Body of Knowledge (Version 3.1, GLO.ego-depletion). https://www.engineeringmanagement.academy/body-of-knowledge/glossary/ego-depletion