Do You Eat When Procrastinating?

Last night while sitting at my computer desk, I got up 8 times or more in an hour to look for food in my refrigerator. I knew I’m wasn’t hungry. But I had just worked a 10 hour day and now needed to complete 3 projects asap. But instead of working, I had food on the brain. There is actually a name for this in the Urban Dictionary- ProcrastinEating (The consumption of food undertaken to avoid a dull or arduous task, irrespective of hunger levels or the time of day)  If you are someone who eats when they are procrastinating from doing tasks, read on to learn my tips.

I have a habit of taking on too many projects at a time. I am sure many of you can relate to this!  (pic credit: miligirlwellness.com) For me, this leads to stress and feeling scattered. My immediate response is to seek food. I find this annoying because it impedes on actual work time and I even made a video on it a while ago. Here it is again in case you missed it the first time …

Tips to curb proscrastineating:
1. The first step is to be aware of this habit. Often times we eat and aren’t even aware that we are doing it. I suggest keeping a food record.

2. Next, you will then need to ask yourself if you are really hungry when you go into food seeking mode. Chances are the answer will be no. If you are hungry, then you’ll need to do a better job of planning adequate meals and snacks. If the answer is no, then read on…

3. Plan your day in advance. Prioritize those projects with the closet deadlines. Set small specific goals and focus on only those …not the 10 other things you need to do. Write these goals down and check them off when you have completed them. Completing small tasks will help you feel less stressed. If you have a large project due, break it down into small attainable goals.

4. Don’t skip meals as this can lead to low blood sugar which can make the urge to eat not-so-healthy foods stronger. Eat balanced meals that include some protein and high fiber carbs. You also may want to plan a few healthy snacks during the day. But make those snacks a “real snack” like an apple or yogurt, not getting up every few minutes to grab some carrots, cheese, a pickle, etc.

5. Take a little time each day to enjoy your lunch. Inhaling your lunch makes it seem like you didn’t even eat. If you can’t get out during the day to pick up lunch, at least close your office door and give yourself 15 minutes of peaceful eating. If you work from home, sit down and eat a real lunch versus grazing all day (I am guilty of both of these!) Put your lunch on a plate – no standing while eating (pic is me walking 5 minutes to get a healthy lunch at Metro Cafe)

6. Make sure you get adequate sleep. Being sleep deprived decreases concentration levels. In addition, it has been shown to cause cravings for sugar and fat. A double whammy!

7. Limit caffeine. While small to moderate amounts of caffeine can lift your mood and give you a boost, excessive amounts can make you jittery and on edge.Too much caffeine makes it more difficult to concentrate.  It can also interfere with your sleep.

8. Keep your environment free of tempting foods. There is nothing worse when trying to complete a project when you know there is a batch of freshly baked cookies in the kitchen. If you need to keep certain tempting foods in the house for other family members, at least keep them covered and out of sight.

9. Limit technology for periods of time during the day. Turn off your phone for a while. Set limits on the number of times you check email, twitter or facebook. Every time a new email, tweet or text comes in, my phone buzzes. I find this especially disrupting so I am making a serious effort to turn my phone off for periods of time and set limits with social media.

10. Plan breaks. Maybe you can get out and take a quick walk or call a friend for a few minutes.

11. Keep your workplace clutter free. I find when I’m getting stressed when working at home or in my office, seeing papers stacked everywhere (or sprawled all over my

Bottom line
Not only is proscrastineating a waste of  time, it can also lead to unwanted weight gain. Try out some of my tips to see if you can curtail this annoying habit!

Feel free to share any of your eating and procrastineating stories! No judgments here 🙂