The Hungry Engineer – Literally!

Or, the Fuel for your Engineering Change

​In my book I have a section dedicated to willpower and food for when you want to change (and improve) your engineering practise. I have found that some (likely many) don’t really let this set in.
So let’s now talk more about the Hungry Engineer – and the fuel needed for change.
Let me be clear: I’m not talking about motivation in the vague, spiritual sense. I’m talking about literal energy. Glucose. Calories. Food. Fuel.
If you’re trying to change how you work as an engineer — to become the kind of thoughtful, principle-led, systems-aware, globally competent engineer that I would argue is the real engineer — you’re going to encounter resistance. And resisting change takes far less energy than driving it.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. When you start asking for others to consider broader systemic issues, for shared understanding, for time to frame problems properly or apply first principles, people get uncomfortable. You’re challenging assumptions about what good engineering is, breaking habits, and that can feel threatening to those around you. You’ll hear things like, “We’ve never needed to do that before” or “That sounds like you’re overcomplicating it.”
So what happens? Every step forward becomes a battle. You’re not just doing engineering; you’re doing change management. You’re having to explain yourself, justify your approach, and sometimes go it alone until the results start speaking for themselves. That takes effort. More than most people expect.
By the way, it is not any easier when you’re leading. Because while you can decide the process, you still need to keep everyone on the new track.
And if you’re already tired, then you’re going to feel it. And you are probably going to have to compromise, which, in this case, means lower standards.
It’s not some abstract challenge of "willpower." It’s a literal problem of energy management. You’re running your body and brain on low reserves and expecting yourself to do the hardest work there is: change. And when you think about it like an engineer, that makes perfect sense. Willpower is a type of power. And like any other kind of power, it needs a power source.
That’s why one of the simplest but most powerful things you can do as an engineer committed to improvement is to make sure you’re well-fueled.
I’ve even changed my own eating habits in response to this. I fast regularly for health reasons, but I’ve sometimes had to end a fast early because I knew a big meeting was coming up where I’d need to be sharp and resilient. I needed the energy.
It’s easy to scoff at the idea that eating a good lunch could make the difference in whether you bring improvement to yourself or your company. But the evidence from the research shows that it absolutely can. Engineering change is hard. Don’t make it harder by running on empty.
So if you're serious about becoming a better engineer—more globally competent, more systemically minded, more committed to best practice—then start with the basics. Eat. Rest. Fuel up.
Change takes energy. Make sure you've got enough of it.