Behavior to change: Snacking too frequently during study time
Every day after dinner, I sit in my dorm and get to work on all the readings, p-sets, writing assignments, etc. that I have from class. I love to take snack breaks. They give me time to step away from my desk and clear my head while doing something with my hands: cutting fruit, frothing milk for a steamer, microwaving something…
The issue is not necessarily how much I eat – snacks are pretty light, think cut fruit, milk steamers, whole wheat wraps, whole grain cereal, yoghurt… – but how frequent I eat, and the time that all that prepping, eating, and washing dishes take up. Here’s my typical evening study routine:
| Task | Minutes |
| Work a bit | 30 |
| Snack #1 | 15 |
| Work a bit more | 30 |
| Snack #2 | 15 |
| Work more | 30 |
| Snack #3 | 15 |
| Work tad bit more | 30 |
| Snack #4 | 15 |
| Work more until tired……… | 30 |
(And some nights I snack even more)
| Total minutes: | 210 | |
| Study minutes: | 150 | 71% of total time |
| Snack minutes: | 60 | 39% of total time |
So as you can see, I spend perhaps too much time snacking than studying. Not only does this prolong my bedtime, but all these pauses interrupt my study flow, and the brainpower that goes into deciding what to eat next interferes with my full attention.
- Just limit myself to x2 snacks per night. The feedback loop graph points to my lack of self control over the # snacks per study session. I will start by limitting myself to x2.
- Before I begin studying, set ~10 minutes to plan out what snacks I will have. I realize I spend a huge chunk of time being indecisive about what to eat next, either in the form of a background process in my brain pondering what to eat next while I try to focus on my homework, or during actual snack time, me staring blankly at my fridge wondering what to eat.
I tried this new routine out for x2 dorm study sessions and compare them to x2 previous study sessions.
- It’s easier to focus. Because I already decide what to eat, it’s easier to focus on my work and not let my head drift off to thinking about food.
- I feel more productive. Less snack breaks mean spending less time getting up, preparing, clearing dishes, going to the bathroom… I feel like I’m getting more tasks done by getting up less.
- I haven’t been going to bed earlier, but the amount of work I’m able to complete in a given day has increased.
- I still take breaks in addition to those x2 snacks, say, if I decide that 1 planned snack is too much and I want to split it into x2. But still, these snacks are shorter, and I spend 0% brainpower deciding what to eat next.
Conclusion:
- I like this new habit! Yes, it takes some time in the beginning of each study session for my indecisive self to decide what to snack on, but after those ~15 minutes of deciding, I’m all set and ready for the rest of the session. As you can see in the results above, I’ve cut the % study time spent on not studying (bathroom breaks, prepping, snacking, washing dishes…) from an average of 29% down to 18.5%. This means that I’ve been spending more time studying and getting work done than doing non-study tasks. I will continue this habit to see how much more of my study time I can convert from snacking to actual studying. This habit is a keeper for sure. 👍🏼
