“I’ll just take one and then I’ll stop forever” is such a humanly phrase we’ve all said, just as the inventor of the Kitchen Safe, while reaching helplessly towards the creamy chocolate bar/shiny glazed cupcake/crunchy piece of cake/[insert here your sinful deliciousness]. I say it myself all the time. And then I curse and dread my weak will. It’s a fact that willpower is a limited resource we posses and the smartest way is to admit it and plan for when it’s gonna fail, because that time is definitely coming. I’ve decided to give in and accept that I’ll never reach my ideal level of fat percentage. That my squared abs are gone forever and that fluffy layer around my everything is here to stay. Sporting like a maniac till my heart jumps through my throat while portioning and carefully selecting my food and avoiding all the “goodness” doesn’t make it worthwhile for me. Been there, done that, and in the process I came to realize that life without chocolate and cake (and processed sugar in general) is for me not worthwhile living.
Then comes the compromise: moderation. But that’s also tricky, especially during stressed, tired or upset situations. Then the brain compensates the serotonin shortage by starting to munch on willpower, and introducing the dangerous “exception” – just one MORE, only NOW, AFTER this I’ll be good again. All this David, an overweight guy who loved snacking just like any other mortal, realized 4 years ago. So he created something to force his willpower obey even at its weakest point. To go through diet without cheating.
What it is: Tupperware with a digital lock system, that can only open at preset times. He calls it a commitment device
How it works: Set the timer to open at any intervals between 1 minute and 10 days and you’re good to go. Put your M&Ms there and unless you have them stashed somewhere else in the house or you’re just the weakest lowest person and go and buy some extra, you’ll only be able to get it when the time’s up. Unless you’re so desperate and you break the jar.
Another feature that I think was actually helping its purpose was the high price: in the beginning the price of the Kitchen Safe was around €50, depending on the size (available in 5×14, 14×14 and 14×26,4 cm), but now you can buy it for around €12 on Amazon. This probably led to a higher amount of broken items.
What you can stash in the Kitchen Safe:
- junk food
- cards and cash, to prevent unplanned shopping
- remote controls for TV and video games
- cigarettes
- mobile phones for that hour of quality time with family/friends/uninterrupted activity
- keys to “dangerous” cabinets/rooms
- precocious birthday gifts
- toys, for those who choose to discipline their kids through time-out method
- other temptations that make you interrupt your work
What the Angel from Quirk Heaven thinks: how about an app that does the same with Facebook/9GAG/WhatsApp and in fact any distraction source of choice?