Why it works
Willpower is a bad long-term strategy. The tasks we avoid are boring now and rewarding later, while temptations are fun now and costly later.
Temptation bundling ties the two together. The task borrows the pull of the reward, and the reward stops costing you guilt because it only happens while you’re doing something good.
It works best when the reward is something you would otherwise binge, so the craving drags you to the task.
How to use it
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Pick one guilty pleasure
A show, a podcast, an audiobook series, a fancy coffee. Something you genuinely look forward to.
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Lock it to one avoided task
You only get it while doing the task. The thriller audiobook is for the gym. The good coffee is for the expense report.
“This podcast only plays on the treadmill.” -
Never break the pairing
If you allow it anywhere else, the trick stops working. The reward has to be the reason to show up.
Where it comes from
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