A Difficult but Rewarding Change to Save Time & Grow Faster
Sometimes, overcoming the tough ones is what gets us going
Picture this.
- You’re in the kitchen, fixing yourself a plate for dinner.
- You head over to the dining/work table and set the plate.
What’s the first thing you do?
Switch on the TV — without second thoughts.
If you’re nodding yes, you and I are the same.
In fact, as per a 2018 report published by the LA Times, “an astonishing 72 per cent of people said that they watch TV while eating meals.”
I came across this report a month ago, and being part of this statistic bothered me.
I dug deeper and realised it wasn’t the statistic that impacted me per se but the evident repercussions of indulging in the habit myself.
I knew I had to do something before it manifested in a manner I would regret.
And this was the start of bringing about a change that I knew would be tough but rewarding in the long run.
The Before
I remember that Thursday vividly.
- Woke up late.
- Went straight to the work desk.
- No meals, worked non-stop, chugged coffee after coffee till early evening.
After a work meeting at 4 PM, my stomach growled. I rushed to the kitchen, fixed myself a plate and sat at my work desk.
Guess what I did next — typed in n…e…t…, and the browser did the rest.
A funny, 20-minute episode with a meal seemed harmless at first. But the moment I glanced at the clock for the first time after I sat down, it was 6 PM.
What the hell happened?
Did I spend two hours on a meal?
Did I unconsciously click on ‘next episode’ five times in a row?
I was baffled.
On a side note — your favourite sitcom (The Big Bang Theory for me) does bind you in that spell. But that’s what we’re here to tackle.
Here’s what I realised in hindsight:
- I’d finished my meal in 20 minutes.
- The next 100 minutes were spent on the sitcom.
The latter is what I regretted the most.
And it was one of those moments where the consequences of your bad habits give rise to a tidal wave of negative emotions.
It hits you even harder when you realise you’ve been doing this for months, if not years.
And that’s exactly what pushed me to change. But before we move on to the ‘how’, here’s what I want to answer first.
Why Was the Change Tough To Achieve?
- Because I was so used to that happy rush of emotions accompanying my meals.
- Because I, among 72% of people, was addictively accustomed to engaging in some activity alongside eating.
The After
I started with a mistake, i.e. eating my meals like a monk.
Which meant no parallel activities during any meal in the day.
Quite obviously, the food felt tasteless because the happy rush of emotions was cut out. Surprisingly, this even happened with my favourite childhood dishes.
Boom! The motivation to change vanished in two days.
On the flip side, though, I got time to think deeper and come up with a solution that fits me.
So, instead of uprooting that habit, I replaced it with something that benefits my long-term goal of becoming an author and a thought leader.
I started listening to podcasts with people I admire and aspire to be in the future. And it turned into a chain reaction.
It started with an episode featuring Sahil Bloom, where he spoke about a concept by James Clear, which then led me to Tim Ferriss. This further led to books I’d love to read and modern-day thinkers I’d love to hear.
In fact, this change led to a recent article coming to life.
Now, your goal can be anything, but I’m sure you’ll find all the information you need to achieve it.
Consume that kind of content during meals.
Also, on this road, you’ll stumble upon lessons originating from people you never expected.
One example is a conversation between Justin Gary (a game designer) and Tim Ferriss. I didn’t know who Justin was, but I knew that any episode of the Time Ferriss Show would level me up.
Many of Justin’s lessons were about teamwork, writing, and the path less travelled — not just game design.
I wasn’t expecting them from him, but this is what happens when you bring forth a change that aligns with your life’s purpose.
Key Message: Switch your mealtime content to something that boosts your long-term goals. Think about it this way — you’re feeding yourself mentally at the same time you feed yourself physically. Why not keep it nutritious for both your body and mind?
