Ep. 351 - Path of Least Resistance: Outsourcing a Chore or a Skill? | Building the Habit Bank: Deposits vs. Withdrawals | Simplifying Fasting Logistics | Skills That Drive Long-Term Fasting Results | Chore or Skill: The Question to Ask 10-15 Times a Day

In this episode, Dr. Scott Watier tackles the difference between outsourcing a chore and avoiding a skill, arguing that the path of least resistance isn't always the wrong move — it just depends on what you're making easier. He introduces the "habit bank" concept, where every convenience is either a deposit that protects consistency (grocery delivery, repeated meals, a fixed fasting window) or a withdrawal that derails it (impulse snacking, the "I'll start Monday" reset), and uses his own reliance on Instacart and meal-prep shortcuts to show how automating logistics frees up energy for what actually matters. He draws a clear line between the chores worth systematizing without guilt — meal planning, grocery shopping, tracking tools, workout scheduling — and the skills that require real repetition, like sitting with a craving for 10-15 minutes instead of solving it, breaking a fast on purpose instead of on impulse, feeling an emotion without eating over it, and logging an honest, unflattering result. Scott cites research showing people make roughly 214 food-related decisions a day (more for those with higher BMI), framing the fasting lifestyle as a game of "keepy uppy" where the constant question is simply: am I outsourcing a chore, or am I avoiding a skill? The episode closes with two action steps — pick one chore to eliminate this week and one specific skill-building moment to identify and sit with, rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.