You’re guaranteed to get everything done.
THE GIST
Temptation bundling is a habit-building strategy in which you combine a well-liked activity with a less enjoyable (but more beneficial) task to make sure you do both.
EXPERT INSIGHT
“Since you’re going to do the thing you like anyway, bundling it with an errand or chore ensures both get done,” says Matt Berenc, director of education at the Equinox Fitness Training Institute in Beverly Hills. Think about it in terms of if-then statements: If you do the thing you need to do, then you can do the one you want to do.
To start, he suggests making one list of activities you like doing and another of the ones you tend to put off. Then, pair each “like” item with a “dislike” item that you could do simultaneously (like listening to podcasts while meal prepping) or in sequence (like going to the dentist, then getting a massage). The final step is to actually complete both activities. “This makes the disliked task far more enjoyable and by default, easier to repeat,” Berenc says.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Temptation bundling will help you check off all the tasks on your to-do list without giving up the things you enjoy.