Temptation Bundling

Is there a task that you keep putting off that keeps growing and strikes fear into your heart? One of mine was doing the dishes. I kept promising myself I’d tackle them “later.” Later became a dreaded time that I kept pushing off. Those dirty dishes became my personal Mount Washmore, growing taller with each passing day making the task more and more intimidating.

Frustrated with my ever-mounting dishes and needing a solution, I learned about a strategy called temptation bundling. Temptation bundling is a productivity strategy that combines an activity you want to do with an activity you need to do but might find less appealing. By pairing these activities together, you make the less enjoyable task more attractive and increase your motivation to complete it.

I decided that, if there were dishes in the sink, I would not be “allowed” to watch a tv series, movie, or anything. The only way I would let myself be entertained is by bringing the laptop into the kitchen and watching only as I did the dishes.

It worked! Suddenly, doing the dishes became much more manageable! Here’s how:

I used the shows to distract from a mundane task and got to feel the satisfaction of a job done and done well.
Pairing a fun activity with a less enjoyable one makes the overall “bundle” more appealing, encouraging me to get started.
By pre-determining when I can engage in my tempting activity, I avoid the constant internal struggle and decision-making about whether to work or indulge.
Temptation bundling helped me stay focused on my necessary task while also allowing myself an enjoyable activity.

Overall, temptation bundling is a simple yet effective strategy to trick your brain into tackling those tasks you might otherwise procrastinate on. The key is to create a bundle where the enjoyable activity becomes a reward for completing the less desirable one. This helps you overcome the initial resistance towards the less exciting task and build momentum towards getting it done.

ACTION: Try temptation bundling today. Consider a task you need to do and find an activity that you enjoy doing to pair together. Watch tv on a treadmill, Listen to music or a podcast while you vacuum, or take a dance class as a workout. Let yourself experiment and see what happens.

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