{"id":19280,"date":"2024-07-29T14:13:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=19280"},"modified":"2024-07-29T14:58:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:58:22","slug":"revisiting-a-classic-temptation-bundling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/revisiting-a-classic-temptation-bundling\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting a Classic: Temptation Bundling"},"content":{"rendered":"

For disastrous humans like myself, routines are pretty damn important.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m easily distracted, impacted by my environment, and strongly influenced by<\/span> \u200b<\/span>the people around me<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/a>. A predictable routine gives me the best chance to still get stuff done while being human.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, while traveling, plenty of things slip by the wayside.<\/span><\/p>\n

And this past week I found myself traveling and falling behind on my nerd duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

I needed to catch up on <\/span>House of the Dragon <\/span><\/i>(Season 2 is a big step-up!), and I was also behind on a few of my favorite nerdy podcasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I thought about how I would manage to get caught up while also getting my workouts done. I know that I feel like a better human being after I exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then I remembered a habit-building technique I had learned about years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before I started writing about it, I googled the technique\u2026only to realize I had already written about it! Good job, Past Steve!<\/span><\/p>\n

(I guess when you publish 1000+ articles over 15 years, it\u2019s bound to happen.)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The technique is called \u201cTemptation Bundling.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s when you combine two activities: one you <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> to do with one you <\/span>want <\/span><\/i>to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: listening to your favorite audiobook or podcast ONLY when you\u2019re at the gym or getting your steps in.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I point out in my updated<\/span> \u200b<\/span>article on Temptation Bundling<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/a>, Professor Katy Milkman ran an experiment to test whether or not \u201caudiobooks at the gym only\u201d would influence people\u2019s behaviors:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The people in the study who were told they could listen to addictive audio books only while working out visited the gym 51% more frequently than those who were just told they should exercise more.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Knowing that exercise is<\/b> \u200b<\/span>my constant<\/b>\u200b<\/span><\/a> while traveling, I took my own advice:<\/b><\/p>\n

I told myself I could only watch <\/span>House of the Dragon<\/span><\/i> while walking.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the more time I spent at the gym, the more of my podcasts I could get through.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure enough, I found myself jumping rope a few extra minutes to finish a podcast episode, I went to the gym an extra day for mobility work, and I walked an extra mile on the treadmill just to see the end of an episode.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

More \u201cnerd\u201d plus more \u201cfitness\u201d = win!<\/b><\/p>\n