I Ate The Same Breakfast For 5 Years. Here's What I Learned.
One decision that removes a thousand decisions
In 2017 I decided to follow a plant-based diet.
In the beginning I didn’t know what to eat in the morning. It was frustrating. But after a few days, I finally set on a breakfast recipe. It was crap. But over the years I managed to improve it, little by little. Now It’s like I’m having dessert for breakfast.
But salivating every morning is not the only benefit of having the same amazing breakfast. Here are 5 things I learned about having the same breakfast every day.
#1: One decision that removes a thousand decisions
It’s great to look on social media and dream about all the breakfasts you’re going to make.
But it takes time. You have to choose a single recipe among thousands. You have to buy the ingredients. Sometimes the recipe requires a hand-picked lotus from the Everest. Then you need to cook it.
And all this on a good day, when you have time. But during the week, I doubt anyone is looking up recipes. What probably happens is:
You wake up, and the first thing is to decide what to eat.
You have a few recipes on the go. But first you need to check if you have the ingredients at home.
After wasting some time, you finally decide what you’re going to eat.
By the time you start preparing breakfast, you made a few dozen decisions.
And the more decisions you make, the sh*ttier they get throughout the day. It’s like when you’re at home, it’s 8pm, you have no food in the fridge, and you’re hungry. It’s hard to make the healthy choice. Before you know it, you’re reaching for your phone getting burgers and french fries delivered.
That’s why waking up knowing what I’m going to eat is the easiest way to eliminate many decisions. It also makes grocery shopping much easier and simpler.
I wake up and eat. As simple as that. Friction removed.
#2: I start my day eating brain fuel.
Having one breakfast means I start my morning on autopilot.
There’s no decision making. And when you don’t have to decide, you make better decisions, even after sleeping like sh*t. It will also guarantee that you start your day eating healthy.
I know people who’s breakfast is a sausage roll at a coffee shop on their way to work. They’re still sleepy and probably craving some dopamine hit. And this happens because their breakfast is probably too hard or time consuming for them.
Too much friction, and eating healthy goes out the window.
But for me, that doesn’t happen. I made my decisions a long time ago. They’re on autopilot now.
No more deciding between healthy or junk food.
#3: I make my morning as friction-less as possible
I’m a very lazy person in the morning. And I like simple things.
If I have to think too much about what to eat, I’ll probably make the wrong choice. That’s why I need my breakfast to be as simple as possible. The only friction I have is opening the freezer to get the frozen berries. The rest are just raw ingredients in front of me.
No cooking. No pans. Not even a knife.
Just a single plate with everything I need.
#4: More time in the morning to focus on other things.
By not having to decide what to eat, I free up thinking time.
No more “worrying” about useless sh*t. Instead, I “worry” about important things. For me, that’s writing. So I make my mornings about writing. No worrying about meals. No social media. No distractions.
Just me and my typewriter.
#5: I don’t even think about novelty.
Having the same breakfast for years has made me appreciate monotony.
I don’t dream about all the cool things I could be cooking. I don’t let the novelty of social media drift me away into unicorn land, where everything is perfect.
Real life is supposed to be boring most of the time.
And if I don’t seek novelty, I avoid distractions. And avoiding distractions makes it easier to focus on what matters.
What I eat in the morning
Well, I haven’t talked about what I eat for breakfast. If you’re curious, here it is:
2 bananas (~300g)
~110g of rolled oats
~100g of frozen blueberries
~20g of milled flax seeds
~10g of sunflower seeds
~40g of walnuts
All the above are approximate (“~”) measurements. I’ve done this breakfast so many times that I don’t weigh it anymore.
Also, I eat a lot. This quantity is perfect for me. Might be too much for you.
Now you know how great it is to have the same breakfast every single day.
I can guarantee you it will make your life easier.
Do you have a go-to breakfast? Let me know below!