How to avoid getting hangry

Avoiding the rollercoaster of being hangry

There’s an English proverb that says, “A hungry man is an angry man”.

Do you ever get hangry?

Hanger is a combination of hunger and anger. When you’re hungry, you get angry.

And it’s not just in your head. A recent study found hanger is a real phenomenon.

In this study, researchers gathered data from 64 participants over 21 days. Every day the participants were asked to report their hunger, anger, irritability, pleasure, and arousal at five time-points.

Hangry study

What did they find?

The researchers concluded:

“The results of the present study suggest that the experience of being hangry is real, insofar as hunger was associated with greater anger and irritability, and lower pleasure, in our sample over a period of three weeks.”

The researchers went on to state:

“Although our results do not present ways to mitigate against negative-hunger-induced emotions, existing research suggests that being able to label an emotion by putting feelings into words (e.g., “anger”) could help individual to regulate those emotions.”

In other words, if you are able to recognise that you’re hangry that gives you power. You can then decide to do something about it.

Hangry all the time

When I was in high school, I was always hangry. But there was no language for this state back then.

I also had no idea about healthy eating. So, when I became hangry, I felt confused. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know what to do.

But knowing what I know now, I can see I was the maker of my own misfortune. Let me explain.

As a teenager, I’d start the school day with a big bowl of nutrigrain (i.e., a sickly sweet cereal). Since iron men were plastered all over the cereal box, I foolishly believed that this was a highly nutritious breakfast.

By 10am, my stomach would be rumbling at max volume in class, which usually always coincided with silent reading.

Stomach rumbling in class

This left me feeling embarrassed, highly irritable, and distracted (I was more focused on my noisy stomach than on my textbook).

Recess would arrive and I’d eat a packet of potato crisps or an Uncle Tobys Le Snak (i.e., a pre-packaged combo of cheesy spread and crackers).

On the menu for lunch was a sausage roll or meat pie packed full of mystery meats.

Then I’d come home and eat another bowl of sugary cereal as a snack.

Vegetables and fruit were more like ‘sometimes/occasional’ foods than a significant part of my diet.

You don’t need to be a nutritionist to see why I felt hangry all the time. I was eating high GI foods that contained little to no fibre.

Breaking free from hanger

When I hit my thirties, I realised I had to improve my diet. Over the course of a year, I studied plant-based nutrition through eCornell University and participated in online culinary school.

All of this training was time and money well spent.

Not only did I learn how to cook with plants and wholefoods, but I learnt how to eat for optimal brain power and keep hanger at bay.

If you find yourself getting hangry, I want you to know that you can learn to eat in a way that leaves you feeling satisfied and able to focus in class.

Here are my top tips for preventing and handling hanger when it strikes:

1. Eat high fibre foods that fill you up

What foods fill you up and keep you satisfied? Foods that are packed full of fibre.

High fibre foods include:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Wholegrain foods (e.g., brown rice, oats, wholemeal pasta, and wholemeal bread)
• Legumes (e.g., lentils, kidney beans, and chickpeas)
• Nuts (e.g., almonds, cashews, and walnuts)
• Seeds (e.g., sunflower and pumpkin seeds)

You won’t find any fibre in eggs, dairy, and meat (note: the grisly tough bits in meat are fat, not fibre). You also will find little to no fibre in processed cereals and junk foods.

2. Reset your palate

Not a fan of fruits and vegetables? Never fear.

Here’s a fun fact: your taste buds repopulate every 10 days.

This means you can retrain your palate to prefer the subtle flavours of healthy, high fibre foods.

Challenge yourself to stop eating processed junk food for two weeks and see what it does to your food experience. This was a game changer for me!

3. Always carry healthy snacks

I have a motto: “Always carry healthy snacks”.

If I have a little pack of healthy snacks when I head out on the road to present, I know I’m going to be okay.

What do I put in my snack pack?

Usually nuts, veggie sticks, and chopped up fruit.

I tend to steer clear of potato chips, cakes, and biscuits as these foods don’t leave me feeling full or particularly good.

4. Have a back up plan if you forget your snacks

Occasionally, I’ll forget my snack pack. When this happens and hanger is about to strike when I’m out presenting at a school, I have a plan that I execute immediately following the presentation: I drive to a Subway or Zambrero store (whichever is closest).

I know exactly what I will order at these places:

Subway – Veggie delight sub with avocado (no cheese)
Zambrero – Bean burrito with half the rice and lots of salad (no cheese)

Deciding on what I’m going to order well in advance means I am less likely to make poor food choices when my willpower hits rock bottom.

5. Avoid addictive high GI foods


High GI foods (e.g., white bread, white potato, white pasta, and cakes) create a surge in glucose in your blood. Whilst you need glucose to function, too much glucose all in one hit overwhelms your body, particularly your brain. You’ll have a sugar high, but it will be followed by a low. That low is usually hanger.

Here’s the dilemma . . . .

When hanger strikes as a result of consuming high GI addictive foods, you’re more likely to make poor food choices. When you’re having a hanger melt down, you’re not going to be reaching for carrot sticks or broccoli. You’ll be reaching for foods that give you another blast of dopamine. You end up in a vicious cycle (Eat addictive junk > Hanger > Eat addictive junk).

This doesn’t mean you need to cut out all high GI foods though. Professor Jennie Brand-Miller and her colleagues state in the New Glucose Revolution series:

“High GI foods such as potatoes and wholemeal bread make a valuable nutritional contribution to your diet, and when eaten with protein foods or low GI carbs the overall GI value of the meal will be about medium.”

6. Have a breakfast of champions

I know you’ve heard this a million times before but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. But most people are saying “Bring on the hanger!” by starting the day with Rice Bubbles, Coco Pops, and jam on white bread.

These breakfasts are devoid of fibre and are high GI. In other words, they’re quickly digested and cause a spike in blood sugar levels (cue rumbling stomach).

Swap the processed, sugary breakfasts with one of the following high fibre breakfasts:

• Baked beans (low in salt and sugar) on wholemeal bread
• Tofu scramble
• My favourite choco-bluberry smoothie
• Overnight oats

7. Embrace lentils and beans

Lentils and beans have been shown to have magical properties. Meals containing beans can delay the return of hunger (making us feel fuller for longer). Studies have also shown consuming beans creates something called “The Second Meal Effect”. Dr Michael Greger explains this effect as follows:

“Eat lentils for dinner, and eleven hours later, your body reacts differently to breakfast. Even when made to drink straight sugar water the next morning, your body is better able to handle it.”

In other words, eating a meal containing beans or lentils will lower the GI index of the next meal you eat. For example, if you have a bean burrito for lunch and a few hours later you eat a piece of chocolate cake, your blood sugar levels won’t spike as much (thanks, beans!). Pretty amazing, right?

To sum up

We know that hanger is real, but it’s not something you need to struggle with. By making a few simple tweaks to your diet, you’ll be amazed at how certain foods can help stabilise your mood and leave you feeling fuller for longer.

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Tiny habits for healthy living

I used to spend a lot of time on the road driving from school to school.

While I always kept an eye on the amount of petrol in the tank, I also needed to pay close attention to my own personal energy levels.

It was important to avoid pushing myself past empty and depleting my energy reserves because if I did, I would end up feeling emotionally wrecked.

I clearly remember one day when I pushed myself too hard. Looking back, it seems comical now. But I wasn’t laughing at the time.

It was my 24th birthday. I had woken up that morning with great intentions, thinking “It’s my birthday! Let’s make it a great day!”

I was trying too hard to make it a “great day”. I was forcing it, and perhaps that’s partly why everything went pear-shaped.  Here’s what happened . . .

I had a school presentation later that day, so I spent the morning preparing for it before driving over an hour to deliver the presentation.

The time slot for the talk wasn’t ideal—my talk was scheduled for the last period on a Friday afternoon—but I was thinking, “Hey! It’s my birthday. Let’s make it a great day!”

What can I say?

The session didn’t go well.

There were IT issues and the students’ minds were elsewhere. But you couldn’t blame the students. They were tired and I was the only thing standing between them and the weekend.

When I wrapped up the session, I felt tired and hungry.

But I foolishly ignored my body’s needs. On an empty stomach, I began the long drive home. I was desperate to get back and be in my own space.

Within 10 minutes, I found myself stuck in peak-hour traffic. But I wasn’t just stuck in traffic; I was also stuck in an anxiety loop.

Psychologist Risa Williams explains an anxiety loop as “a negative thought cycle that makes you feel stuck in a rut”. You can’t rationalise your way out of an anxiety loop. Logic doesn’t cut it.

I kept thinking about how the talk could have gone better, why my birthday had been such a flop . . . these annoying tunes kept playing over and over in my mind and they kept getting louder and louder.

I was about halfway home when something unexpected happened: I began sobbing uncontrollably behind the wheel of my car. I just felt incredibly sad.

I realised it was dangerous to drive while crying, so I pulled over and called my mum.

My mum and I would chat on the phone most days, but I remember this conversation especially well because my mum didn’t pull any punches.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Mum: What’s wrong Jane? Why are you upset?

Me: It’s my birthday and I wanted to have a great day but I just feel so awful. Everything has gone wrong today. The day has been a total flop.

Mum: Jane, have you had anything to eat?

Me: No.

Mum: You’re hungry! I know what you’re like when you’re hungry. You need to find a place to eat.

Me: But there’s nothing healthy to eat around here . . . there are no healthy options.

Mum: I don’t care. Order something. Anything. You need to eat. Go do that right now!

I found a café that was still open (it was 3:30pm) and ordered a burger from the menu.

When the burger came out 10 minutes later, I felt emotionally wrecked.

But after eating that big, juicy burger, I felt instantly better.

Burger Transformation

A magical transformation had occurred, all thanks to a $15 burger.

The world now felt like a new and different place. I had strength again. With tear-free eyes, a calm mind, and more energy in my system, I got in my car and drove myself home safely.

That experience taught me an important lesson. I learnt I had to stop pushing myself past the point of empty (something I’d done far too often for too many years).

I had to start listening to my body and the signals it was sending me.

Feeling hungry? Have a healthy snack.

Tired? Take a quick nap.

Thirsty? Have a few sips of water.

Sitting for too long and in pain? Get up and move.

Eyes and brain hurting from staring at a screen for too long? Take a break and look out the window.

It also taught me how engaging in small behaviours (tiny habits) can significantly impact how you think and feel.

Here are some of my favourite tiny habits for healthy, calm, and grounded living :
  1. After I wake up, I will put on my gym clothes.
  2. After I put on my gym clothes, I will turn on my treadmill.
  3. After I step on my treadmill, I will move my body for a minimum of 20 minutes.
  4. After I shower, I will warm up my breakfast (overnight oats and berries).
  5. After I finish eating breakfast, I will sit down and do 5 minutes of meditation.
  6. After I finish meditating, I will write down three things I feel grateful for.
  7. When I feel mentally fatigued, I will step away from my work and go outside.
  8. After sitting for 25 minutes, I will walk on my treadmill for 5 minutes.
  9. When I find myself feeling sleepy, I will set a timer for 15 minutes and take a nap.
  10. When I find myself feeling flat, I will hit play on an upbeat song.
  11. After I complete a task, I will have a sip of water.
  12. When I notice I am feeling hungry, I will grab a piece of fruit.
  13. When I get my keys to leave the house, I will put on a n95 mask.
  14. When I see it’s past 8pm, I will plug my phone in to charge in another room and say out loud, “No more screens”.
  15. When I put my head on my pillow, I will pick up my notebook and write down three wins for the day.

 

All of these habits are designed to boost and conserve my energy. That’s the great thing about habits: they conserve your energy by automating your behaviour and combating decision fatigue. As Kevin Kelly states in his book Excellent Advice for Living:

“The purpose of a habit is to remove that action from self-negotiation. You no longer expend energy deciding whether to do it. You just do it.”

Boost your energy

These 15 tiny habits are so deeply ingrained that I do all of them most days. I don’t waste time and energy thinking, “Should I go on the treadmill or stay in bed and read a book?” or “Do I do my gratitude practice or eat breakfast?” I have established a routine of healthy behaviours that work for me.

These tiny habits don’t take long to do, and best of all, they stop me from running out of energy and crashing. I also haven’t been sick in over three years (mainly due to Habit #13: Wearing a n95 mask).

You might be wondering why I’m still wearing a mask when covid restrictions have eased. There are a few reasons: I know several people with long covid (and they are suffering). Their quality of life is not what it once was.

I’ve also read a lot of the research on covid. Research shows covid can cause significant changes in brain structure and function.

This study found that people who had a mild covid infection showed cognitive decline equivalent to a three-point loss in IQ and reinfection resulted in an additional two-point loss in IQ.

Covid and the brain study

Other studies have found covid can disrupt the blood brain barrier and cause inflammation of the brain. Since I rely on my brain to do everything, wearing a n95 mask (not a cloth or surgical mask) is a simple and effective habit I’m happy to keep up to protect my brain and body.

At the end of the day, cultivating healthy habits is about noticing the little (and big) things that make a difference and then experimenting with those things.

For example, Habit #3 (Moving on a treadmill first thing every morning) came about when I noticed the dramatic difference in how I felt on the days I ran on the treadmill compared to the days I didn’t (I felt mildly depressed on the days when I didn’t go for a run).

Habit #4 emerged after I noticed that eating a particular breakfast (overnight oats with berries) made me feel amazingly good compared to having a smoothie or a bowl of processed cereal for breakfast (which would spike my blood sugar levels).

Here’s how I see things . . .

Your health influences everything in life—and I mean absolutely everything. It influences how you interact with the people in your life, how well you learn and focus, your energy levels, and how you do your work.

As Robin Sharma explains in his book The Wealth Money Can’t Buy, health is a form of wealth.

The wealth money can't buy

Sharma writes:

“If you don’t feel good physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, all the money, possessions and fame in the world mean nothing. Lose your wellness (which I pray you never will) and I promise you that you’ll spend the rest of your days trying to get it back.”

One way you can build your wealth is by cultivating tiny healthy habits.

Final Thoughts

As I think back to my younger self, 24 years old and ignoring the warning signs my body was sending me, I can’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. But as Kevin Kelly says, “If you are not embarrassed by your past self, you have probably not grown up”.

I’ve grown up a lot. I’ve come to realise developing awareness and taking time out to step back and reflect are critical to living a healthy, grounded life. When you notice what makes you feel good and not so good, you can make tiny tweaks to improve your life.

If you aim to do more of the things that leave you feeling good and less of the things that leave you feeling depleted and fatigued, you can’t really go wrong.

In the words of Psychologist Dr Faith Harper, “Keeping our brains healthy and holding centre is a radical act of self-care”.

On that note, take a moment to check in with your body. What does it need right now? Could you do something small to treat your body and mind with a little more care? Step away from the screen and do it now.

The practice of working like a sprinter

How often is your work interrupted by notifications or distracting thoughts that you find hard to ignore?

In our modern world, overwhelm and distraction threaten to constantly derail us.

As artist Austin Kleon states in his book Keep Going:

“Your attention is one of the most valuable things you possess, which is why everyone wants to steal it from you. First you must protect it, and then you must point it in the right direction.”

In this article, I share a powerful practice that can help you protect your attention and point it in the right direction: working like a sprinter.

The focused energy of an athlete

As a teenager, I remember watching Australian Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman run in the 400-metre race at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

In that incredible race, Cathy did one thing and one thing only: she ran as fast as she could in a focused, intense burst.

She was 27 years old and had been training for this event for 17 years. Having won silver at the previous Olympics, the pressure was on. The entire nation was watching Cathy.

Cathy Freeman wins gold

To this day, I still get goosebumps when I watch the footage of this race (you can watch it here).

Cathy was in the zone. She was completely focused on the task at hand. She knew what she needed to do: run.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, Cathy sat down to catch her breath and process what she had just accomplished (she had won gold). The crowd went wild and was completely absorbed in the moment, too.

Back in the year 2000, during the Sydney Olympics, smartphones and social media didn’t exist. Not everyone had access to the internet (my family did, but it was slow, expensive, and could only be used at home on a computer). In this environment, it was much easier to focus.

It’s fair to say that the early 2000s were simpler times.

Some scholars (e.g., Dr Jonathan Haidt, and Dr Anna Lembke) argue that smartphones and social media have caused several harms to society, including a reduced capacity to pay attention and an inability to tolerate discomfort.

Despite the noise and chaos of the modern world, it’s possible to train yourself to focus better.

How do we cultivate better focus?

One way is to tackle our work like sprinters.

The Practice: Working like a Sprinter

The practice of working like a sprinter is refreshingly simple: You work in a short, focused burst (25-45 minutes), then take a break to rest and recover (5-15 minutes). After that, you repeat the process a few times before taking a much longer break (30 minutes).

 

Sprint-rest-sprint-repeat

I usually work this way for about 3 – 4 hours a day.

But I’m not fixed and rigid about this practice. This technique is adaptable. The key is to listen to your body and tune into what it needs. Make this practice work for you.

If you develop the habit of working in this focused way, you’ll be amazed by how much you can get done. More importantly, instead of feeling mentally fried at the end of the day, you’ll feel energised. You’ll also experience a delightful sense of calm and peace.

In short, this is a practice well worth cultivating.

 

How to work like a sprinter

In a nutshell, working like a sprinter involves three distinct phases:

  • Warm-up phase: You prepare yourself to do the work
  • Sprint phase: You do the work in a short, focused burst
  • Rest and recovery phase: You take a break to re-energise

 

It’s simple, but it’s a practice that takes practise.

Below, I delve into each phase in more detail and share some things that help me work in focused sprints.

 

The Warm-Up Phase (5 minutes – 120 minutes)

Warm up phase

I do my best work sprints in the morning between 9am and 12noon. But these focused sprints don’t just magically happen. It’s not like I roll out of bed and dive straight into a work sprint. First, I need to warm up.

The warm-up phase allows me to get in the right headspace and set up my environment to be focus-friendly. It has a dramatic impact on my brain’s performance, affecting my ability to focus, creativity, productivity, and mood.

Just to be clear, the stars don’t have to align, and the conditions don’t need to be perfect to kick off a work sprint. I’ve simply noticed that I can work better after engaging in a few behaviours and morning practices.

Here’s what I’ve found makes a difference . . .

 

1. Figure out the things that hijack your attention

What distracts you when you’re trying to work? What things frequently derail you?

Take note of the things that hijack your attention and throw you off track.

In one of my favourite books on getting organised, Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD, Susan Pinsky writes:

“The more you explore the distractions that keep you from working, as well as the tools that help you to focus, the more organized and productive you will become.”

Once you know what distracts you, you can figure out ways to deal with those distractions, which brings me to the next point . . .

 

2. Implement distraction blockers

For each distraction, think of ways to make it harder to engage with it. What barriers or strategies could you put in place? Are there any tools that could help you focus better?

For example:

  • Your phone keeps buzzing? Put it away from your body in another room (I put my phone in pocket 1 of a vertical wall hanger in the dining room, well away from my workspace).
  • Keep having distracting, random thoughts? Write them in a notebook and come back to them later.
  • Feel tempted to use chat groups or social media? Use an app like Cold Turkey, Freedom, or one sec to block yourself.

 

Dealing with distractions from the outset (before you sit down to do your work sprints) makes it easier to stay focused and on track.

 

3. Meditate (even just for 3 minutes)

Many of us have become used to constant stimulation; without it, we feel anxious. This is why we reach for our phones and scroll through our feeds as soon as we experience a slight pang of boredom.

If you can relate to this, you will benefit from engaging in a daily meditation practice.

If you’re new to meditation, I recommend starting with the following tiny habit of doing a micro-meditation:

After I put on my shoes, I will pause and breathe in and out three times.

Not sure how to meditate? Close your eyes and focus on your breath, going in and out. If a random thought enters your mind (and it will), notice it and let it go. Then, return your focus to your breath.

Alternatively, you could listen to a guided meditation using an app such Insight Timer.

 

4. Move your body (even just for 5 minutes)

Clinical psychiatrist Dr John Ratey describes exercise as “like a little bit of Ritalin and a little bit of Prozac”. It’s powerful stuff.

Research shows that physical movement can help us focus better and learn faster. In terms of counteracting stress and boosting our mood, movement is like getting a biochemical massage.

This is one reason getting on my treadmill and doing interval training has become a non-negotiable part of my day. In the words of Tara Schuster:

“[Working out] is my preventative measure against the anxiety that lurks in my mind. I must throw myself out of bed in the morning and make it to the gym because I will always, always feel better for it.”

By warming up my body through physical movement, I’m able to warm up my brain by bathing it in feel good chemicals.

Deliberately exposing myself to the discomfort of running also helps me sit with the unpleasant feelings that arise when faced with difficult work. As Alex Soojung-Kim Pang states in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less:

“Exposing yourself to predictable, incremental physical stressors in the gym or the playing field increases your capacity to be calm and clear headed in stressful real world situations.”

On the days when I skip my morning run or a weightlifting session, my wellbeing and productivity take a hit. I don’t feel as mentally sharp or confident about tackling my work. I’ve also noticed that I’m more likely to get distracted and give in to instant gratification during a work sprint.

 

5. Help your future self

Can you do anything in the evening to prepare for your morning work sprints? Completing a few quick tasks before bed can help you conserve energy the next day.

Here are a few simple things I like to do in the evening to get ready for the day ahead:

  • I make my breakfast (overnight oats with berries)
  • I write a short list of the three main things I want to work on the next day
  • I lay out my exercise clothes and running shoes
  • I clear away clutter from my work desks
  • I avoid all screens an hour before bed (I plug my phone in to charge in my office and don’t touch it until the next day)

 

Doing these simple things allows me to carry out my morning routine with ease. Then, I can hit the ground running with a clear, focused mind for my first work sprint.

 

6. Design a distraction free environment

If I check my phone for messages and engage in frivolous texting first thing, I crave distraction and the dopamine hits that come with it for the rest of the day.

For these reasons, I have implemented the following tech rules:

  • No engaging in chat groups for the first 6 hours of the day
  • No checking email or looking at screens for the first hour of the day

 

This may sound extreme, but these restrictions are incredibly liberating. As the author of the book Stand Out of Our Light, James Williams states:

“Reason, relationships, racetracks, rules of games, sunglasses, walls of buildings, lines on a page: our lives are full of useful constraints to which we freely submit so that we can achieve otherwise unachievable ends.”

By blocking myself from digital distractions and all the noise that comes with it, I can focus on chipping away at the projects that are most important to me.

 

7. Prepare the mise en place

Just like a chef prepares all the ingredients before cooking a dish (i.e. they create the mise en place), set yourself up with everything you need to do your work. The last thing you want is to get a few minutes into a work sprint and realise you need to go find a pen that works.

If you have everything you need within arm’s reach, it’s easier to stay focused on the task and get into a flow state.

 

Sprint phase: Doing the Work (25 – 45 minutes)

Once the warm-up phase is complete, we move into the sprint phase. Now, it’s time to do the work.

If you’ve done the work in the warm-up phase, the sprint phase is a lot easier. All you need to do is:

  • Set a timer for the period you intend to work for
  • Do your best to focus on the task at hand until the timer goes off
  • If you get distracted, it’s okay. Write down the distracting thought and gently bring your focus back to your work.

 

There’s no need to feel rushed as you work. You’re not competing with anyone else. This is not a race. It’s totally fine to take things slow.

Don’t expect the sprint phase to be pleasant. Even after a fabulous warm-up, you will most likely feel some discomfort and resistance about doing the work. This is normal.

You’ll feel the urge to run from this discomfort. But instead of running from it, befriend it. Remind yourself that the point of these work sprints is to move the needle on the things that really matter to you.

 

Rest and Recovery Phase (5-30 minutes)

When the timer goes off, take a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up to do the work. Remember, this practice takes practise, and you just got some reps in.

Now it’s time to rest. You’ll probably have some momentum by now, so you’ll feel like pushing on but stop what you’re doing and step away from your work. As Ali Abdaal mentions in his book Feel-Good Productivity:

“Rest breaks are not special treats. They are necessities.”

I’m not going to lie: this phase has been the hardest for me to master. As someone with workaholic tendencies, I’ve had to work hard at getting rest.

Why is the rest phase so important?

Because the longer you focus, the harder it is to maintain your focus. The act of focusing depletes your brainpower.

The best way to recharge a depleted brain is to rest.

Like focus, rest is a skill. It takes practise. You have to be able to resist the lure of busyness and our fast-paced, always-on culture.

Here are some of my favourite ways to rest and recharge at the moment:

  • Go for a short walk out in nature
  • Do some stretches from Bob Anderson’s excellent book Stretching
  • Chop vegetables in silence (no podcast or music playing)
  • Take a power nap
  • Cut out pictures and glue them down on paper (zine or collage making)
  • Lay on the floor with a bolster under my legs
  • Tidy up a surface
  • Journal in my notebook
  • Prepare a toddler tray of healthy snacks (this is for myself, not a toddler!)

 

Whenever I find myself wondering whether to keep working or take a break, I ask myself:

“What kind of boss do I want to be for myself? A mean-spirited, hard taskmaster? Or a generous, caring boss who looks out for their employees’ wellbeing?”

The answer is simple: I choose to be a generous boss to myself. Therefore, I give myself permission to rest.

To sum up

I’ve come to see each of the phases of working like a sprinter (Warm-up, Sprint, and Rest and Recovery) as critical to staying healthy and balanced. Through trial and error, I’ve learned that skipping the warm-up or rest phase or going too hard in the sprint phase can lead to chaos and exhaustion.

As you cultivate the practice of working like a sprinter, significant things will happen to you. Not only will you notice that your productivity goes through the roof, but you’ll experience mental calm and clarity like never before.

As digital distractions no longer dominate your day, the noise of the world gets dialled down. You’ll find it easier to tune into what you need and what matters most to you.

I cannot stress enough that this is a practice that takes practise! One or two sprints won’t cut it. You need to persevere for long enough to experience the incredible benefits of this powerful practice.

One sec app

 

Are you happy with how much time you spend on your phone?

When you feel slightly bored, do you feel a reflexive, gravitational pull to check your phone?

If you spend hours each day clicking, scrolling, and posting, I want you to know that it’s not your fault.

It’s not that your weak willed, lacking discipline, or a lazy person.

It’s none of these things.

It’s no mystery or secret why so many people waste so much time on social media. Like a poker machine, these platforms are designed to be highly addictive.

Apps like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube contain persuasive design features that hijack your most valuable and precious resources: your time, energy, and attention.

 

Why are these Big Tech companies in an arms race to capture and hold people’s attention?

Because the more time we spend on their apps, the more data they can extract and sell for social influence.

The business model of Big Tech companies is simple: Keep people glued to their platforms for as many hours a day as possible.

In other words, your time and attention equal massive profits for these companies.

In his excellent book The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt presents data showing teens aged 13-18 spend an average of six to eight hours every day on social media apps. That’s close to 50 hours a week.

 

 

Dr Haidt notes that this is just the time spent on the app. It doesn’t factor in the time spent thinking about social media while they multitask in the real world.

So, that’s 50+ hours that could have been spent outside in nature, learning a language, working a part-time (or full-time) job, making art, cooking, exercising, getting more sleep, and hanging out with friends.

Let’s also not forget that these apps intervere with and harm our wellbeing and ability to think and learn.

The multi-tasking that takes place as we engage with these apps throughout the day drains our brainpower, weakens our memory, and makes us tense and anxious.

The social comparisons we engage in on these platforms also warps our perception of reality and leaves us feeling like we’re not enough.

So, here’s something to consider . . .

 

What if you could protect your time, energy and attention from social media companies?

It’s possible, and I’m going to show you how.

I recently discovered a simple tool that helps people stop mindlessly consuming social media and other addictive apps.

It’s an app called one sec.

one sec is a self-nudging tool that helps you to create barriers to Big Tech that align with your goals and values.

 

 

Here’s how it works:

As you open up an addictive app, one sec intervenes by creating a 10-second delay in opening the app.

one sec creates the little bit of friction needed to make you pause and reconsider your behaviour.

After the delay, one sec presents you with a choice: Do you want to proceed with opening up the target app (e.g., TikTok)? Or close the app and do something else?

The creators of one sec explain it works by utilising three intervention strategies:

  • Creating friction (i.e., the time delay)
  • Giving you the option to not proceed and close the target app
  • Deliberate messaging

 

It’s important to highlight that you’re in control of the whole experience. You specify what apps you want one sec to target. You can also modify the time delay (making it shorter or longer) and change the deliberate messaging.

The question is, does this app work?

Or is it just another gimmicky product that fails to change your behaviour in a significant way?

I’ve been experimenting with this app for the last month, and I’m pleased to say it’s working for me!

Even though I don’t have social media and the wicked algorithms that come with them, I recently noticed that I was spending far too much time in group chats.

one sec has helped me be more intentional and deliberate with how I engage with these chat groups.

Instead of mindlessly checking these apps whenever I have time to kill, I now have dedicated periods when I engage with them. I’m following Dr Faye Begeti’s advice when she recommends in her book The Phone Fix to “Set a finite number of times for checking social media, condensing a large number of short checks into defined, longer ones.”

This is what one sec has helped me to do, and as a result, my focus and well-being have improved. I feel calmer. My days feel longer and less frenetic.

But I realise I’m a sample size of one. Plus, I’m highly motivated to reduce my time on addictive apps.

Is one sec effective in helping others to reduce their social media consumption?

The short answer is yes.

This research study found the app one sec helped people to significantly decrease their social media consumption.

 

 

In this study, 280 participants used the one sec app for a six-week period. Here’s what the researchers found:

36% of the time participants attempted to open a target app, they chose to close the app using one sec (i.e., they did not proceed with using the target app).

 

 

Over time, participants also opened the target apps less.

 

 

Opening problematic apps less or choosing to close problematic apps before engaging with them is actually a really big deal. Here’s why . . .

Less engagement with these addictive apps means less hits of dopamine.

Every quick and easy hit of dopamine you get from social media leads you to crave more stimulation from these apps. Before you know it, you’re in a full blown dopamine driven feedback loop.

Whenever I’m stuck in a dopamine loop, I’m not #livingmybestlife. Far from it! I feel overstimulated, chaotic, and jittery. Here’s why . . .

In his book How to Calm Your Mind, Chris Bailey explains that the brain networks for dopamine and calm are anti-correlated.

What does this mean?

It means when the dopamine network is activated, the calm network isn’t.

Imagine every time you mindlessly reach for your phone to check social media, you’re moving further and further away from a state of calm.

This may explain why participants in the one sec study reported experiencing increased satisfaction and happiness after decreasing their consumption of problematic apps.

 

Other one sec features worth exploring

The main intervention features (i.e., the time delay and option to not proceed with the target app) will help you decrease your consumption of addictive apps.

But there are many other features available with this app.

As you explore the additional features, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There’s a lot of extra bells and whistles. For example, there is the “Don’t get lost” notifications (i.e., scheduled reminders to close the target app when you are using it) and website blocking.

But like a lot of things in life, more features don’t necessarily result in a better user experience.

Ultimately, I decided to follow BJ Fogg’s behaviour design principle of ‘Simplicity changes behaviour’. I stuck with using just the basic features of this app.

I knew if I overcomplicated the app, I probably wouldn’t use it.

All that being said, there were two additional features I incorporated:

1. Strict Block Feature

I use the strict block feature every day. To be clear, the strict block feature is not to be confused with the basic block feature. What’s the difference?

If you select a basic block, you’re not really blocking yourself from the app. But there’s a barrier in place. If you try to open the target app, it brings up the following message:

 

“Be honest with yourself. Do you really want to stop this block?”

 

Whereas a strict block is a genuine bona fide block. You cannot use your target apps until the block is over.

If you have developed a mindless habit of reaching for your phone and checking certain apps, you need a strict block in place until your brain has had a chance to recalibrate itself.

Here is the tiny habit I created to give my brain a chance to rewire to lower hit of dopamine from my smartphone:

 

After I pick up my phone in the morning, I will open one sec and press strict block for six hours.

 

Activating a strict block means I’m in charge for the first six hours of my day (and the addictive apps are not running the show). This sets the tone for the day and puts me in proactive mode rather than chasing quick hits of dopamine. It also helps me stay calm and grounded.

 

A word of warning:

Even when you feel like you have regained control over your target apps, you must remain vigilant. It’s super easy to get drawn back into a dopamine-driven feedback loop.

 

2. The Journal Prompt Feature

The journal prompt is simple and effective. Before accessing the target apps, I am prompted to write about what I have done and what I feel grateful for.

I write 25 words before proceeding to the target app. This gives me a moment to reflect, which is always a worthwhile practice.

 

 

Free alternatives to one sec

There is a free version of one sec you can use, but it limits you to applying one sec to only one target app.

If you have multiple addictive apps on your phone (as most of us do), I recommend the paid version to unlock all the features.

It costs $25AUD for the year, which is value for money if you ask me. The app has already paid for itself in terms of the time, energy, and attention I’ve reclaimed.

I should mention that I had trouble initially installing one sec and getting it to work on the target apps. The process was a little finicky, and I nearly gave up after 20 minutes of trying to figure out how to get the app to work.

You can find similar intervention apps that are free and easier to install, such as ScreenZen. ScreenZen appears to be based on similar mechanisms (i.e., introducing a time delay and friction to the target app).

My brother recently started using ScreenZen to help combat his mindless habit of scrolling through social media. When I asked for his thoughts on this self-nudging app, he said, “It’s annoying.” But then he quickly added, “But that’s the point. It’s annoying, and that’s why you use the apps less.”

Another great feature of ScreenZen is that after spending seven minutes on the target app, it puts a stopping mechanism in place by prompting you to think about if you want to keep using the app.

 

Final thoughts

I don’t think anyone consciously sets a goal to spend 20, 30, or 50+ hours a week on social media. But if you don’t have strategies to combat the addictive apps on your phone, one thing is certain: Big Tech companies will hijack your time, energy, and attention.

As Michael Harris states in his book The End of Absence:

 

“Never forget that you live in an ecosystem designed to disrupt you, and it will take you for a ride if you let it.”

 

So, don’t be taken for a ride. You can easily access self-nudging tools, such as one sec and ScreenZen, to help you defend your time, energy, and attention.

Think of the things you’ve always wanted to do but tell yourself, “I don’t have the time. I’m too busy”. What if you could reclaim a significant chunk of time to do those things today? Would it be worth taking a chance on a self-nudging app?

You’ve got nothing to lose except potentially $25.

I encourage you to test out one of these apps to protect your most precious resources (i.e., your time, energy, and attention).

 

Note: In case you’re wondering, I have not been paid or sponsored by one sec to write this article.