Cue, routine, reward. Using my own example, I break down why evening snacks in front of the screen hold on so tightly — and what could replace them.
Which habit can’t I get rid of?
Generally, all our habits follow a certain loop: cue → routine → reward.
Every habit of ours goes through these 3 stages. Personal productivity specialists say we shouldn’t fight the cue (it’s often an external factor we don’t control), and we shouldn’t fight the reward either (we need dopamine for a normal life) — instead we should replace the “routine” with something more useful.
For example: the cue is stress, the routine is smoking a cigarette, the reward is the feeling of relaxation from the smoke in your lungs. In that case it makes sense to try replacing the cigarette with a cup of cocoa or something else.
For many years I’ve had the habit of eating while watching something on a screen. In the evening, once all the tasks are done, Nastya and I like to lie down on the sofa in front of the TV (cue) and start demolishing all sorts of treats (routine). Naturally, tasty food brings pleasure and dopamine (reward).
We don’t eat junk food, but any meal after 7 p.m. puts a certain load on the digestive system. On top of that, every meal is a release of insulin into the blood. The body works all night instead of properly resting.
As a result, my weight is higher than I’d like it to be. My cheeks and stomach show the traces of regular “night-time crimes.” Even though I weigh a lot less now than in the photo, you can still see what I’m talking about.
When you wake up in the morning, there’s a certain heaviness, and it takes a few rituals (a cold shower, some exercise) to perk up and get into a working rhythm. There’s far less energy than on a day after the last meal was around 7–8 p.m.
In theory, to beat the night-time eating I’d have to either drop the evening viewing (which is hard, because Nastya and I love relaxing with films and series and then discussing them) or somehow replace the “routine” (devouring treats) with something else. But so far I haven’t figured out what to replace it with.
By the evening, willpower weakens, and after a working day my legs carry me toward the fridge all by themselves.
Have you already beaten the habit of eating late at night?
And which cravings are you still not able to get rid of?
Want to go deeper?
Reading helps, but what changes a life is specific steps, not reading. Fifty minutes of conversation is usually enough to see which steps are yours.
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