Managing your cravings while trying to forge ahead as a busy entrepreneur is challenging. Being the master of your body and mind while you’re under pressure is hard.
But, of course, there are examples of business people who’ve done it. They’ve got the better of their urges and made real successes in their lives and ventures.
But what was it that gave them their remarkable edge? How did they plough through?
That’s the topic we look at in this post. It explores what you can do to manage your cravings when you’re trying to dominate your industry and achieve your potential.
Look At The Root Of Your Cravings
While it might sound unhelpful, the first place to start is with what you think might be the root of your cravings. If you can get a handle on what this might be, you can often go a long way to solving your problems.
Think about the emotional triggers in particular that drive your cravings in the business world. Perhaps it’s a meeting format you don’t like, or maybe you hired someone who isn’t pulling their weight and you feel angry.
Whatever it is, look for what might be causing you your problems. See if there are any hidden triggers or patterns in your environment that are setting you off, like a creaking door or a smell that reminds you of when you were bullied at school. It could be literally anything.
Rewire Your Approach To Rewards
Next, you’ll want to think about how you can rewire your approach to rewards. You’ll want to look for ways to replace your pleasures instead of trying to eliminate them entirely (that almost never works).
For example, if you’re going outside and lighting up every five minutes, then nicotine pouches could be a great replacement. These give you the hit you want, and feel soothing in the mouth, but don’t come with the dangers of smoking tobacco.
Then, once you have the short-term fixes in place, you could tie your carvings to your vision. Every time you think about something pleasurable that you know is bad for you, you imagine where you want to be in five year’s time. This practice sounds trite, but it can be psychologically powerful, just because of the sheer effect it can have on you emotionally.
Another similar tactic is to associate the pain of failure with your cravings. For example, perhaps you want that big burger on a Friday night, but you’re on a diet.
To prevent this from getting in the way of your business goals, associate that with giving in and giving up. Then, on the contrary, let yourself feel pleasure and celebrate when you make it to Saturday morning and you’re eating your steel-cut oats with berries.
Optimize Your Physiology
Another approach is to buffer your body against the physiological triggers that might affect it at work. The more you can do that, the better off you’ll be.
For example, don’t go to work hungry. Not only will it make you more prone to irritation, it will also encourage you to give in to your cravings. After all, you’ll tell yourself, you’ve suffered enough.
To get around this problem, fill yourself up with high-volume, healthy foods in the morning. Focus on getting massive amounts of plant foods, even vegetables, if it means you can keep going until lunch.
Remember, that whole foods are essentially nature’s Ozempic. Who needs expensive injections when you’ve rammed your stomach and ileum full of high-fibre foods that take hours and hours to empty?
At the same time, focus on hydrating yourself. Sometimes, your body will feel hungry at work, even if the true requirement is thirst.
Therefore, monitor your lips. If they are dry, there’s a good chance you aren’t at optimal hydration levels.
Use Fasting
Another approach to dealing with cravings at work is to use fasting. Limiting your food to a specific window early in the day can have profound effects on your well-being and ability to resist temptations. It can also help you eat less overall, which is great when you want to lose weight.
You could also try longer periods without salt, sugar, and added fat. Eliminating these nutrients from your diet for a short time can help your taste buds and brain reset, making it less likely you will binge on lots of cake every time the office trolley comes around.
Engineer Your Environment
Another approach is to engineer your work environment to promote things that are good for you, and to avoid those that are bad for you. As a boss or something senior in your company, this approach should be fairly straightforward.
For example, get rid of temptations. Replace the cake trolley lady with the fruit man. Get rid of anything in the office kitchen that might encourage you to snack, like cookies.
At the same time, make sure your workplace is warm. Research shows that being cold can make you feel hungrier over time, which is one of the reasons cold plunging doesn’t really work that well for weight loss.
You can also try stacking your desk with healthy, nutrient-dense snacks. With these, you have them right there in front of you, which is more convenient than walking to the vending machines.
Condition Yourself
You can also try conditioning yourself while at work using mental strategies. These get you into the habit of being more conscious about snacking and calorie intake in general.
For example, you might implement the 10-minute rule. With this, you wait ten minutes while focusing on something else before giving in to a craving. Usually, you’ll find that you become more absorbed in the task and that the thing you were craving no longer seems as important.
You can also try using meditation for impulse control. Focusing on the breath instead of the mind can be an excellent way to overcome food addictions (and some others).
So there you have it. It’s not impossible to manage your cravings while succeeding as an entrepreneur.
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© Copyright 2025 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
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