Listen, there is lot in our day to day lives that we don’t want to do, but must in order to take care of our lives. When willingness is low, it helps to have some handy hacks to get us going. Temptation Bundling is one of those tactics to train up our willingness. This concept has been cosigned by Mr. Habits himself, James Clear.

Let’s dive into what temptation bundling is and how you can begin implementing this strategy TODAY!

What is temptation bundling?

To break this concept down, let’s work from this 2014 study‘s explanation of temptation bundling.

Temptation bundling involves the coupling of instantly gratifying “want” activities (e.g., watching the next episode of a habit-forming television show, checking Facebook, receiving a pedicure, eating an indulgent meal) with engagement in a “should” behavior that provides long-term benefits but requires the exertion of willpower (e.g., exercising at the gym, completing a paper review, spending time with a difficult relative). 

Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. (2014)

The TLDR version: Temptation bundling is bringing together your not-boring or “indulgent” self care alongside your boring self care or “tedious” tasks.

In its most ideal form, temptation bundling is a way to add incentive to tasks we normally put off or avoid while also decreasing feelings of guilt when engaging in self care. This concept can be helpful for those who might be tight on time, people that struggle with fully engaging in not-boring self care, and those who want a more compassionate way of habit building.

Sounds simple right? Well…yes and no.

Like many concepts, simplicity can easily open the door to making things overcomplicated.

When you begin building a temptation bundle, it helps to keep these things in mind:

• Timing: At first, you want to plan your temptation bundling ahead of time while you troubleshoot what is effective or not. Once you build a list of temptation bundling activities, then you can improvise more in the moment.
• Intention: An aspect of temptation bundling is keeping some of the not-boring self care habits solely in the bundle. For example, if you are using audiobooks as your temptation bundle–only listen to the specific stories when you are doing the habit.
• Accessibility: Temptation bundles need to have an aspect of accessibility so they are easy to implement, can be used frequently, and reduce stress overall.

Let’s build some bundles!

I like to put the types of bundles into two categories:

1. The if THIS then THAT bundle: This is more like a reward system.
   • Example: If I finish my paperwork, then I can go get a pedicure.
2. The Bundle Bundle: This is more like a true bundle of things happening together.
   • Example: Completing paperwork while getting a pedicure.

Deciding on which type of bundle is up to you, the task itself, and if having it during or after is a better motivator.

Bonus Tip: Write down recurring habits that you could use some extra support. Choose 1-2 bundles for each habit and put them into your schedule. Don’t forget to use the self care indexes in the Nine to Kind Possibility Planner for inspiration! You could also do 1 of each type of bundle for each habit!

This sounds great, but shouldn’t I just do the task and move on?!

Well, have you considered why you haven’t done it yet? Also, if a task is hard enough to get motivated for, why not take a more compassionate and dare I say fun approach? This isn’t about earning our self care, but seeing how we can have our self care work for various parts of our life.

Will you try temptation bundling? If you do, don’t forget to tag @nine.to.kind so we can hype you up!