How many times is too many to order DoorDash during exam week? I’m exhausted after every exam, and decide to order Osawa (which pairs perfectly with some doom scrolling) as a reward to myself. But then I remember that I leave in four days, and should probably start packing. That takes so much energy that I go to the dining hall for more food as another reward for my labor. Believe it or not, it’s already 6:54, which is close enough to 7:00, which either means that the dining hall is closed or out of food. So, I decide to order Popeyes. And by that point, I’ve already ordered twice and it’s only Monday night. Keep this pace going over five days, and we’re looking at 10 separate orders. What are your thoughts?

— Doordash Indulger

Your routine sounds like a classic case of reward-fueled procrastination. You finish the exam, emotionally gutted, and decide that you deserve Osawa. You eat it while doom scrolling, creating a perfect pairing of stimulus and flavor to refuel your energy. Then you remember: you haven’t packed a thing. The task is so exhausting that you need another food run to the dining hall—because nothing screams “responsible student” like carb-loading to avoid productive work.

Keep this up, and you’re staring at a bottomless pit of delivery fees—and an angry emoji overload from your parents. Your question boils down to this: at what point does self-care morph into an unhealthy coping mechanism for the horrors you experienced on your exams?

Imagine this. You’ve been studying for 20 minutes. You’re on a roll. You decide to take a quick break. That break turns into 45 minutes, mostly spent on one of the three Instagram, Youtube, or TikTok. Maybe a Reddit thread if you’re feeling dangerous. After you glance up at the time—which you “accidentally” covered with your thumb—you realize you’re way too tired and Zuckerberg’s algorithm is too strong – you’re up against a challenge you can’t win. The grind is brutal, and DoorDash and a 2:1 break-study ratio are just steps on the same slippery slope.

Ethically? It’s not great. But exam week is tough. As long as you’re not putting yourself into actual debt or ordering food during the exam, you’re fine. Plato said that “knowledge is the food of the soul.” Ergo, if you’re really in a bind, just DoorDash a Knowledge Roll along instead of an I Love You Roll and hope that will be enough.

Start with setting a soft limit: no more than two a day. No Popeyes past check-in. And try packing one bin before your next fried rice order.

Ten orders is a lot. But so is this week.

-The Grethicist