Today’s episode is all about temptation bundling, and before we talk about what that is, can we take a minute to celebrate the milestone that is this episode?! This is the 250TH EPISODE of The Brainy Business podcast!!! 

What an amazing way to kick off 2023. I would love to say that I planned it that way, but it was more serendipitous than anything (I think that’s how we know it was meant to be). 

One thing that has allowed me to write, record and set up 250 episodes (along with everything else I do each week) is temptation bundling, which is the focus of today’s episode. This one originally aired as number 136 in January 2021, and there is a reason I chose to have it back again to kick off the year. 

Temptation bundling is a great way to help you reach goals by making something mundane, boring or hard more enjoyable and likely to be completed. Don’t get me wrong, I love creating the podcast. It is fun to learn and share and I do enjoy it. However, it has plenty of mundane stuff that needs to be done to keep it moving, so a little temptation bundling is very helpful in getting this and so many other aspects of my life and work moving forward when it might be easier or more tempting to put it off. Listen in for all the ins and outs of temptation bundling and how you can use it for your own life and work.

Show Notes:

• [00:39] Today’s episode is all about temptation bundling, but first, we must celebrate 250 episodes!
• [01:49] Temptation bundling is a great way to help you reach goals by making something mundane, boring or hard more enjoyable and likely to be completed.
• [02:54] One of my favorite things about temptation bundling is how simple it is. 
• [04:42] Temptation bundling is taking something you should do but may have a longer-term reward and may not be super appealing at the moment…and bundling it with something you really want to do right now. 
• [06:53] A slight change in routine can upend newly formed habits and make it hard to start up again if you aren’t careful.  
• [08:11] Pretty much anything can be a candidate for the bundle. What you set up doesn’t need to be what someone else would want or need.
• [09:46] Temptation bundling uses a “now” activity to achieve a longer-term goal and overcome time discounting. 
• [10:16] Don’t feel like you need to bundle things simultaneously. Most multitasking doesn’t work well. 
• [11:05] Start by looking for something you love to do in your spare time. If you had a free day, what would be at the top of your list?
• [12:52] It is important to have that reward tied to the action you need to take now to be successful.  
• [13:39] Temptation bundling is everywhere. You just have to find the cheese to your own personal life broccoli and you will be achieving goals left and right. 
• [13:49] Melina’s closing thoughts
• [14:33] It doesn't matter if this is in the “manufactured happiness’ category. Our brains look at natural happiness and manufactured or synthetic happiness in pretty much the same way.
• [15:08] One of my other favorite things about temptation bundling, is that it allows you to get more done.

Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. 

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Learn and Support The Brainy Business:

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Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

• How To Change, by Katy Milkman
• Get It Done, by Ayelet Fishbach
• Happier Hour, by Cassie Holmes
• Indistractable, by Nir Eyal
• The Fun Habit, by Mike Rucker

Top Recommended Next Episode: How To Change, an interview Dr. Katy Milkman (ep 151)

Already Heard That One? Try These: 

• Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation with Ayelet Fishbach (ep 186)
• How to Make 2023 Your Best Year Ever with Ayelet Fishbach and Cassie Holmes (ep 249)
• How to Set, Achieve & Exceed Brainy Goals (ep 248)
• The Brainy Benefits of Gratitude (ep 236)
• Bikeshedding (ep 99)
• Time Discounting (ep 51)
• Optimism Bias (ep 34)
• Negativity Bias (ep 223)
• Framing (ep 16)
• Loss Aversion (ep 9)
• How to Organize Your Brain with Behavioral Economics (ep 83)

Other Important Links: 

• Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter 
• Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling
• Katy Milkman on Twitter