The Biscuit Effect – Just One More Biscuit, Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck, and How to Move Forward
- Brainz Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Beth Jordan, a woman of adventure and optimism. A businesswoman with over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, working out of China and India, she is passionate about ensuring all parties involved in her business are treated with honour and integrity. She is now taking her business experience to assist others through coaching, mentoring, and advising, and is equally passionate about helping others achieve their dreams and ambitions.
A cup of tea, absolutely, and maybe one digestive biscuit, my favourite. I am feeling a little peckish. I find it hard to have a coffee or tea without a biscuit to accompany my drink. This has been going on for years. I have tried to stop my hand from reaching deep into the biscuit barrel. I even close my eyes sometimes and pretend it is my sister who is eating the biscuits and not me. My sister is the one putting on the pounds as I look at my slim figure in an imaginary mirror. By the way, I do not have a sister.
My need to munch is insatiable. I have tried to stop so many times, blood test after blood test indicates borderline diabetes. I stop the biscuit cycle for two to three months, have another blood test, all is ok, then have a cup of tea and reach out for that biscuit again.
How to stop this pattern of behaviour. In fact, it is not just biscuits, it is the chocolates, the croissants, all those gooey, sugary, titillating tastes that drive me insane.
The biscuit metaphor
It starts innocently enough, a habit formed in childhood or working too long hours. You tell yourself you will stop at one biscuit, but your hand reaches for another without thinking. It is a small act, but it reveals something bigger, the stubborn grip of old habits. These everyday choices, whether biscuits, scrolling late at night, or defaulting to old communication styles, shape who we are and who we become. A waistline that widens with every munch.
I once shared this obsession with a friend, who laughed about her ‘biscuit moment.’ For her, it was not food, it was checking emails first thing in the morning. She knew it drained her focus, but the habit felt automatic. That's just one more biscuit, it became ‘just one more email,’ and her day was gone before it began.
Pause and ask yourself. What is my biscuit? Identify one small habit that feels automatic but may be holding you back.
The science of habits
I began to research on these automatic habits which had become a part of my life and discovered what Charles Duhigg said about this. He introduced the idea of ‘keystone habits,’ those pivotal routines that trigger ripple effects across life. Exercise, for instance, often leads to better eating, improved sleep, and stronger workplace performance. Journaling can spark clarity, emotional regulation, and more intentional decision‑making. He says, ‘keystone habits’ reshape identity and outcomes far beyond their immediate scope,’ furthermore, ‘routines that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of their lives.’[1]
One of my favourite coaching authors, James Clear’s Atomic Habits, builds on this foundation with a practical framework, the Four Laws of Behaviour Change.
According to Clear, to build good habits, make them obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying, to break bad ones, invert the laws.
His central idea is that ‘every action is a vote for the type of person you want to become.’ Choosing not to eat ‘just one more biscuit’ is not trivial, it is a vote for being someone who values their health and self‑control. Clear emphasizes that small, consistent changes compound into massive transformations over time.
I read this and gradually began to adopt this practice, and now I am beginning to learn to pull back my hand from that biscuit barrel. In fact, the less hot drinks I have during the day, the easier it is to not even think about a biscuit.
Research from the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Psychology reinforces this by showing that habits are ‘context‑driven.’ Once a behaviour is repeated in the same environment, the context itself becomes the trigger. That is why people often relapse into old habits when they return to familiar settings. Breaking habits requires more than sheer willpower, it requires purposefully recalibrating one’s environmental psyche. If biscuits are always visible, or that biscuit jar is always on your mind, the cue remains powerful. Removing or replacing the cue, like keeping fruit in sight instead, can disrupt the loop and make change sustainable.
Why old habits die hard
Studies from King’s College London show that habits are sustained because they bypass conscious motivation, operating as automatic responses to familiar cues. In other words, once a behaviour is repeated often enough, the brain no longer asks ‘Do I really want this? No, it simply acts. This explains why ‘just one more biscuit’ is not about hunger at all. It is about the comfort of routine, the identity we have unconsciously built, and the environment that keeps triggering the same loop.
In fact, sometimes I wake at night, thinking I am hungry, and sneak down to the kitchen and out comes the biscuit barrel. This habit of mine, borne from an unconscious behaviour, echoes exactly the studies from King’s College London.
This unconscious trigger is like muscle memory: when you lace up your shoes, your body knows how to walk without thinking. Habits work the same way, but with choices. The cue (seeing biscuits, opening your inbox) sets off a chain reaction that feels automatic. That is why breaking habits can feel like swimming upstream, you are fighting against ingrained neurological shortcuts.
A study deepens this understanding by showing that habit change depends on environmental pressures as well as on internal self‑control.[2]
Their research suggests that focusing only on willpower misses the point: habits are sticky because they are embedded in context, attention, and repetition. If the biscuits are always available, always at the forefront of your mind, the cue remains powerful. If your phone is always within reach, the scroll is inevitable.
This means that successful habit change often comes not from sheer determination but from redesigning your environment. Do not buy any more biscuits, and the cue weakens. Charge your phone in another room, and the temptation to scroll fades. Attention shifts, repetition breaks, and the old patterns begin to change.
Habits die hard, to change those patterns, we must change the context as much as ourselves.
Reflect on one area of your life, health, work, or relationships where an old habit may be limiting your growth. Write it down and commit to exploring alternatives.
What is the impact on self-development
We know that clinging to old habits can quietly stunt growth. Such as:
Our Health: Overeating, skipping exercise, or poor sleep routines.
Leadership & business: Falling back on transactional communication instead of empathetic storytelling.
Personal growth: Choosing comfort over challenge, staying in the ‘safe zone.’
Psychology Today’s article “Rewire Your Habits, Rewire Your Life” (Jessica Koehler, Ph.D.) emphasizes that habits are not just small routines but powerful forces that shape every part of our lives. From the way we start our mornings to how we respond to stress, habits create invisible frameworks that guide our choices. The article explains that habits form through the same cue-to-routine-to-reward loop described by Charles Duhigg, but it goes further: science shows we cannot only form new positive habits but also break destructive ones.[3]
The piece highlights that neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself makes change possible at any age. By consciously practicing new routines, we strengthen fresh neural pathways while weakening old ones. For example, replacing the onset of stress with a routine of deep breathing, instead of snacking, rewires the brain to seek calm rather than comfort food.
This reinforces the idea that growth is not about dramatic overhauls but about steady, mindful shifts. As PositivePsychology.com also notes, repetition and reward are the engines of habit formation. Together, these insights show that transformation is less about willpower and more about designing routines that align with the life you want to live.
Another one of my client’s shared how his ‘biscuit’ was saying ‘yes’ to every request. It was a habit born of wanting to please, but it left him exhausted and resentful. Breaking that pattern, learning to pause before answering, opened space for him to grow as a leader and reclaim his energy.
Changing habits, breaking free
Identity shift: Clear argues that lasting change comes from seeing yourself differently. Instead of ‘I am trying not to eat biscuits,’ it is ‘I am someone who chooses health.’ Example: One client reframed his identity from ‘I am a problem‑solver’ to ‘I am a culture‑builder.’ That reframe shift changed how he showed up daily.
Change the pattern: Oxford research shows that habits are triggered by context. Remove your triggers, do not keep biscuits in sight. Environmental design is more powerful than willpower. Example: In the office, swap your biscuit barrel for a bowl of fruit. The pattern changed, and so did the habit.
Small wins: Clear’s principle of 1% improvements shows incremental changes stick better than drastic overhauls. Example: A client who wanted to write daily started with just five minutes. That small win grew into a book.
Self-compassion: Carden & Wood emphasize that lapses are part of the process. What matters is persistence, not perfection. Example: A girlfriend training for a marathon admitted she still had her ‘biscuit days.’ Instead of abstinence, she treated them as part of the journey.
Choose one small, practical change today, remove an old pattern, reframe your identity, or celebrate a small win. Act on it immediately to start your rewiring process.
Rewiring the biscuit brain
Old habits die hard because they are not embedded in our identity and environment. But every time we resist ‘just one more biscuit,’ we are not just skipping a snack, we are reshaping who we are becoming.
Thanks to neuroplasticity, our brains can rewire themselves at any age. Each time we choose differently, we create a new choice, proving that change is possible. Redefining our growth is not about perfection, it is about choosing to step out of that black hole and into new possibilities.
Every biscuit moment is a chance to rewrite your story
If you find yourself reaching for ‘just one more biscuit,’ whether it is food, emails, or old routines, you do not have to wrestle with those habits alone. Coaching and mentoring provide the structure, accountability, and fresh perspective that help you break free and hold you back. If you are ready to stop settling for comfort and start rewiring your choices for growth, let us work together to turn your ‘biscuit moments’ into breakthroughs.
Beth Jordan, Coach/ Mentor – You and Your Business
Anne Beth Jordan embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in China during its early days of global reintegration. Her immersive experiences with diverse cultures have deepened her expertise in international trade and relations. Now, she leverages this rich background in her coaching and mentoring business, offering tailored professional development for CEOs and key management, as well as personal and leadership growth for individuals. Her mission – her belief that each person is unique, and so is her approach to every client.
References:
[1] Charles Duhigg. The Power of Habit.
[2] Carden & Wood (2018)
[3] Psychology Today, October 5, 2024
