How To Use Temptation To Get Crazy Productive

After listening to this Freakonomics podcast episode, I’ve been thinking a lot about temptation bundling. If you’re not familiar with this term, temptation bundling is essentially combining something you SHOULD do with something you LOVE to do. The example they used was a study where participants listened to The Hunger Games audiobook while exercising. They locked the audiobook up in their gym lockers so that the only way to hear the next chapter was to workout. It worked like a charm, and most participants exercised more often and for longer.

So, I’ve been wondering, how can I apply this concept to my life and my business to make myself more productive?

Podcasts are one of my FAVORITE indulgences. I look forward to some all week and get excited by new ones (Hello, Mystery Show!) (Goodbye Mystery Show, so sad!). Podcasts are perfect for helping me to get through tasks that don’t necessarily require my full brain power, such as scheduling social media posts where the copy, photos, and links have already been selected. Declaring a  “no podcasts unless I’m getting my scheduling done rule seems like a perfect temptation bundle.

However, podcasts are not going to cut it for more stimulating tasks as they’re too much of a distraction.

Listening to some of my favorite music on Songza (Google bought and then ruined Songza) on Amazon Prime’s player. is a fantastic way to keep me motivated through certain tasks while allowing me to pay plenty of attention to what I’m doing.  Another way I could incorporate this concept into my work might be only to allow myself to work outside on my patio with a yummy iced tea while accomplishing one of my most important tasks of the day.

For exercise, it seems like there are a lot of possibilities to practice temptation bundling.

Like most people, I love a beautiful trail, especially with lots of trees. I also love looking at houses that are much fancier than mine, which is why I love Pinterest so much. Anyway, combining my morning workout with these two things makes for a much more pleasing experience than heading to the gym for me. I’ve found a new circuit to run that leads me through both gorgeous nature trail and charming homes. Though the run is still tough for me, I do adore starting out my day with a dose of fresh air and beauty. Hopefully, it will be enough to keep me going!

If you want to start temptation bundling yourself, here are some excellent articles to give you some ideas:

How to Use Your Temptations to Build Better Habits

How to Achieve Your Goals Using Temptation Bundling

I’d love to know, do you use temptation bundling? If so, how? If not, what are some ways that you could start? Let us know in the comments!

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