6 Temptation Bundling Examples That Will Strengthen Your Willpower

In a nutshell, temptation bundling is a motivation-boosting strategy that pairs your “have to-dos” with your “want to-dos.” However, creating temptation bundles that actually impact your productivity and willpower is a little more complex than that. Below are some evidence-based temptation bundle examples that can strengthen your willpower.

1. Do the activity in an enjoyable setting

Our surroundings can significantly influence our mood and motivation. In fact, productivity guru and author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, referred to the environment as the “invisible hand” that directs our behavior [1].

Office design is one area that considers how setting impacts mood and motivation. Natural light, greenery, and pleasant scents are all notable productivity boosters [2]. We can use some of these principles to bundle a less-than-interesting task with a welcoming and invigorating environment.

2. Gamify the process

If you thrive off competition, you can bundle gamification features with the items on your to-do list. For example, you could assign yourself points for completing specific tasks throughout your day. You can try to outdo your personal best every week or give yourself a predetermined reward after achieving a certain score.

Challenges can also trigger internal and external motivation. Internal motivation can come from setting and achieving goals, while external motivation can stem from praise or recognition from others.

For example, National Novel Writing Month challenges aspiring authors to write an entire book in November. Participants set daily or weekly word-count goals and share their progress with community members. Therefore, authors benefit from working towards a long-term goal and the immediate gratification of achieving short-term word-count goals.

You can also use an app to add a competitive component to your everyday tasks. For example, if you’re studying a language, apps like Duolingo and Babbel allow you to earn points and compete against other learners.

You can also use a habit-tracking app like Habitica to set goals and rewards. Some apps take this further by linking your efforts to a tangible outcome. For example, the app Forest will plant a tree if you hold your focus streak over a set period. This extra incentive can make it easier to start a task.

3. Tie your want into your goal

Sometimes, you can make reaching an important but unexciting goal more appealing by linking it to a more desirable outcome. This type of bundling is perfect for long-term financial goals, which are important but not highly motivating for many people. When choosing between saving or spending, it can be difficult to make decisions that benefit our future rather than our current selves [9].

So instead of pitting your future self against your present self, create an outcome that both will benefit from. For example, if you pledge to save 15% of your annual income for retirement, you can put 5% of the final amount toward your next vacation. The key is only using this bucket of money to fund your trip. This way, a bit of every dollar you save for the future will also fund your current happiness.

4. Choose tools you love to complete the task

In school, you probably went back-to-school shopping for supplies. While there were traditional and plain options for binders, pencils, and notebooks, there were probably many others with colorful designs featuring cartoon characters, cute animals, and superheroes. So which style most likely drew your attention?

Interestingly, aesthetics play an important role in how we feel while using a tool. In fact, choosing a well-designed or beautiful product makes us more motivated than using its plainer counterpart – even if both items have the same function [10].

I have personal experience with this. When I moved into my first apartment, I had to buy all of the basic household supplies. I came across an amazingly ornate broom covered with a hot pink giraffe print. The color and novelty made me really happy, so I bought it.

I later noticed that I was more compelled to sweep, as that would be the only time I could use the broom. While all this sounds a little silly, choosing beautiful tools is a great way to motivate yourself to do an otherwise unpleasant task. Here are a few more examples:

5. Pair the activity with socializing

For many people, interacting with others is one of the most rewarding activities. Therefore, making a tedious task an opportunity for socializing is an easy and effective way to use temptation bundling. Here are some examples:

Making your tasks more social also adds another motivation-boosting quality – accountability. Knowing that others are relying on you to show up can improve your odds of upholding your commitment. Furthermore, socializing can lead to other benefits like a feeling of belonging and connection.

6. Create cliffhangers

The real magic behind temptation bundling is that the excitement of completing the pleasurable task transfers to the not-as-interesting activity. You can double down on this effect when you combine a repetitive task with watching TV or a serial podcast.

If you restrict yourself to only listening to or watching the series while doing the task, then cliffhanger endings won’t be resolved until you do the task again. Cliffhangers are an excellent incentive for motivated behavior, as we naturally want to seek completion [11].

So, if you’re having difficulty sticking to a task you must complete consistently, try bundling it with a gripping series with multiple seasons and episodes.