đŸ„ł Temptation Bundling

How to combine your to-dos with fun things you’d rather be doing.

Author

Flocus
July 21, 2024

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. And to the 3,740 new subscribers this week, hello and welcome 👋 If you’re new, you can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: It’s all about temptation bundling — what it is, why it works, and how to do it. Let’s dive in!

đŸ± What’s Temptation Bundling?

Coined by economist and educator Katy Milkman, temptation bundling means combining something you should do with something you want to do.

Some examples of temptation bundling:

  • Listening to your favorite podcast while working out

  • Watching YouTube Shorts while washing the dishes

  • Indulging in your favorite snack while studying

According to Milkman’s research, you’re twice as likely to stick with a healthy habit when you pair it with a fun activity.

So, how do you get started with temptation bundling? Let’s take a closer look!

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Now, here’s how to start with temptation bundling this week:

đŸ± How to Bundle Temptations With Tasks

How to combine the fun stuff you’d rather be doing with the boring stuff you should do — in 5 steps!

😍 1. List your “wants”

When you procrastinate, what are you most tempted to do instead? Make a list of all the activities you find fun or enjoyable that are likely to distract you.

đŸ€” 2. List your “shoulds”

What should you be doing more of? Include the big habits, like exercising and reading, as well as the small stuff, like folding laundry and replying to emails.

đŸ± 3. Combine ‘em!

Now that you’ve got your lists of wants and shoulds, figure out some ways you might combine these activities.

“Combining” doesn’t always mean doing both activities simultaneously. (In fact, this might be impossible for some activities.)

You can enjoy one of your fun activities while taking a break from a task, or after you’re finished.

đŸ„ą 4. Start with one combo

You don’t want to burn yourself out before you get started by applying this method to every activity on both your lists.

Try one want-should activity combo to start. When you’re done, reflect on how it went — you might discover some tweaks and changes to make this method more effective.

đŸ˜Œ 5. Challenge yourself

One way to make temptation bundling more effective? Allow yourself to enjoy your want activity only when doing your should activity.

Let’s say your favorite comfort food is chocolate, and your goal is to study more.

To bundle these activities, you might allow yourself to only eat chocolate when you’re studying.

As long as you’re consistent, you’ll create a positive association over time. You might even look forward to activities you used to dread!

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đŸ–„ïž Flocus: All-in-One Dashboard

Track your “shoulds” while you temptation bundle in Flocus, your personal productivity dash! Featuring a reorderable task list for your priorities, customizable timers, playlists, and backgrounds to keep you in the zone.

Add your top priorities to the dashboard and get motivated to tackle them while they’re front and center!

POLL: Will you try temptation bundling this week?

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Temptation bundling is a fun way to make tasks and chores a little more enjoyable.

Try it out this week and let us know know how it goes!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team