Increase Your Willpower with Temptation Bundling

In The Verywell Podcast, Dr. Elizabeth Kilco ۱۲, a licensed clinical social worker, shares the “tip of the week”—a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern.

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Episode: 152

It can be challenging to do things we don't want to do, like working out, cleaning the house, or paying the bills. We might feel like we lack the necessary willpower.

But instead of relying solely on willpower, we can use strategies like temptation bundling to make difficult tasks more enjoyable.

Temptation bundling is a science-backed strategy that involves pairing a desired activity (temptation) with an undesired activity (task). This makes the undesired activity more appealing and increases the likelihood of completing it.

Here's how it works:

1. Identify a desired activity and an undesired activity. For example, you might want to watch an episode of your favorite TV show (temptation) while folding laundry (task).

2. Bundle the two activities together. Make a rule that you can only do the desired activity if you also do the undesired activity. In this case, you can only watch your TV show while folding laundry.

3. Start small. Don't try to tackle a huge task right away. Start with something small and easy, like folding a few pieces of laundry.

4. Be consistent. The key to success with temptation bundling is consistency. Make a habit of doing the bundled activities together regularly.

Over time, you'll find that you start looking forward to the undesired activity because it's paired with something you enjoy.

Here are a few examples of how people in my therapy office have used temptation bundling to improve their lives:

• A woman who wanted to exercise more started listening to her favorite podcast only while she was walking on the treadmill.
• A man who wanted to eat healthier started only allowing himself to have a piece of chocolate after he finished a salad.
• A student who wanted to study more started only allowing herself to watch TV after she finished her homework.

Temptation bundling is a simple but effective strategy that can help you get those difficult tasks done more often. So if you're struggling to motivate yourself to do something, give temptation bundling a try.

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Editor's Note: This transcript goes through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors. Thank you. For media or public speaking inquiries, contact us here.

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