Breakfast burritos and breaks to boss midterms
#142 - tango dancing through my modules
Hi there,
“It’s been a long week” is how my tired arms, achy shoulders and strained mind want me to start with. 5 midterm exams in 5 days (with another coding one loading for Wednesday 😬) and then cricket training for the first time in three months do not go well. Luckily, they are over now and the 2nd half of my year begins (!!)
As hinted at, this wasn’t the most eventful week. I did, however, spend time thinking about the next 5 weeks before catching myself looking forward too far and stressing myself. - link below. Instead, I’ve just assessed these next couple of weeks, a relatively simple one ahead.
Highlight of the week: a Friday night concert with flair and style. With two live tango dancers, an accordion (a bandoneon to be precise) and a world-class conductor, it was a livening, memorable experience to round off the exams, all in the company of a Maths friend. 😊
With it being over 6 months since I’ve had back-to-back (-to-back-to…) exams, I was eager to see how the week would pan out. Overall, it has been quite good: I maintained my energy levels somewhat, managed my time well and, most importantly, did pretty well in the exams!
I thought it would be useful to analyse what helped me get through the week, drawing out some insights which you might find interesting and take inspiration from.
I. Breakfast burritos
Since about 16, I’ve been hellbent on making breakfast meaningful and varied. I’ve had times with ‘breakfast routines’, cycling through a menu of options for each day of the week.
Alas, when the exams roll into town, your time and energy (physical and mental) need to be diverted away from food and into formulae.
My solution to this problem is…preparing breakfast burritos! (if only they were the solution to every problem, especially my maths ones).
A discovery since coming to university, these are a brilliant way to have a nutritious, savoury, diverse meal ‘on the go’1 and easy to make multiple in one go.
After a bit of experimentation, I think the combination this week was a winner - I leave it as a game to guess the ingredients, I’ll reveal them next week (sets reminder to include these #quickcapture)
I enjoyed devouring these on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, the last tasting as good as the first.
Here are a few benefits I’ve found:
I’ve bought myself time in the future - I admit, making the 4 took an hour overall. However, split across the 4 mornings, that would be 15 minutes, a fair deal for the breakfast I’m getting (in my estimation). In return, I can look over a few more exam questions, ultimately working to my favour. You could argue I could eat breakfast spending less time, to which I would argue…
I’m able to still eat healthy - during exams, when your mind is on overdrive and you’re perhaps not able to spend as much time exercising, it is arguably more important to eat healthier, keeping your mind sharp and body from degrading seismically. Unfortunately, the time-poor us during these times sticks to the simple/easy food - think toast, beans, cereal - which isn’t enriching or fulfilling.
It removes the mental energy of decision making - this goes for all meal planning. Similar to the well-known adage of tech bros like Zuckerberg wearing the same top every day, having my breakfasts sorted for the week eliminated one thought loop from circling in my mind. Continuing the image, this leaves more room for maths to take in my mind.
II. Planning my treat for the end
After umming and ahing about whether to book this week’s concert (having set myself a ‘1 a month’ rule of thumb), I’m glad I decided to go - it was definitely a good form of rest to power me through the weekend, revising for a programming exam on Wednesday.
An aside about rest - I’m increasingly learning how this is distinct from sleep. It is about recharging your batteries, relaxing the mind and taking a pause before going again, which leads nicely onto…
III. Taking proper breaks
I’ve been banging away at linear algebra for 45 minutes when I get a inkling, an ‘internal trigger’ as Nir Eyal (author of ‘Indistractable) would call it: “I’ve had enough now, it’s time for a break”.
Now, what do I do? Do I put some music on and blast through some messages which need replying to on WhatsApp? Do I go wash any dishes that need doing? Or do I fold away the clothes on the airer?
I’ve been exploring taking a true ‘break’ that actually re-energises you, which scrolling on your phone doesn’t. Furthermore, when you take a break, it shouldn’t just be a couple of minutes for the sake of it. Not taking a proper break could be compared to not completing a full sleep cycle of light, deep and REM sleep. If you wake up in the middle of one, you don’t get very far through the day.
This initially seems counterintuitive, especially to those who might know me working a little better - taking longer breaks? A good reframe here is that taking a longer break means you’re able to a) study the next session for longer and b) at greater effectiveness. On the other hand, going back to your work after a half-arsed pause means you’ll be wanting another one 15 minutes later, when you haven’t gotten much work done. You might be able to observe a possible negative spiral here - unhelpful.
Wow, this week’s post has gone on a lot longer than usual, perhaps it is best to write about the essence of my stories and scribble some thoughts about them. I hope it was interesting, the key lessons are - use time to save time and set up some confetti at the finish line 🕐🎊
Podcast of the week🎙️
Featuring our school awards night guest from last year, this was a brilliant listen. I really enjoyed the hosts’ and Rory’s candidness, opening up in a truly deep conversation
What I’m grateful for this week 🙏
The stewardess at the Royal Festival Hall, who let us sneakily exchange our student ticket standing seats for a pair right in the centre, a very tradable view
Quote of the week 💬
Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down. Roy T. Bennett
Wishing you a great week (I’ve heard the weather is supposed to brighten up…)
Adi
Foil is a lifesaver