profile

Hi there. I'm Steve.

Revisiting a Classic: Temptation Bundling

Published 6 months ago • 1 min read

To view this email as a webpage, click here​

For disastrous humans like myself, routines are pretty damn important.

I’m easily distracted, impacted by my environment, and strongly influenced by the people around me. A predictable routine gives me the best chance to still get stuff done while being human.

Unfortunately, while traveling, plenty of things slip by the wayside.

And this past week I found myself traveling and falling behind on my nerd duties.

I needed to catch up on House of the Dragon (Season 2 is a big step-up!), and I was also behind on a few of my favorite nerdy podcasts.

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.

And then I remembered a habit-building technique I had learned about years ago.

Before I started writing about it, I googled the technique…only to realize I had already written about it! Good job, Past Steve!

(I guess when you publish 1000+ articles over 15 years, it’s bound to happen.)

The technique is called “Temptation Bundling.”

It’s when you combine two activities: one you need to do with one you want to do.

Example: listening to your favorite audiobook or podcast ONLY when you’re at the gym or getting your steps in.

As I point out in my updated article on Temptation Bundling, Professor Katy Milkman ran an experiment to test whether or not “audiobooks at the gym only” would influence people’s behaviors:

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.

Knowing that exercise is my constant while traveling, I took my own advice:

I told myself I could only watch House of the Dragon while walking.

In addition, the more time I spent at the gym, the more of my podcasts I could get through.

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.

More “nerd” plus more “fitness” = win!

  • All caught up on The Watch and The Big Picture podcasts.
  • Two extra workouts and mobility sessions complete.
  • All caught up on House of the Dragon.

Feel free to read the full article on Temptation Bundling and give it a shot.

If you try it out, hit reply on this email and let me know how it goes!

-Steve

PS: Did someone forward you this message? Join our newsletter!​

###

Level Up Enterprises Inc. - 1831 12th Ave S. Unit 271, Nashville, TN 37203
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Hi there. I'm Steve.

I founded Nerd Fitness way back in 2009. Wherever you are coming from, I’m glad you are here. Every week, I send out a short email that’s guaranteed to make you live a tiny bit better, think a little deeper, and overcome the obstacles that get in the way.

Read more from Hi there. I'm Steve.

To view this email as a webpage, click here Right now, there are millions of hopeful people hitting the gym for the first time this month. There are also millions of hopeful people who want to go to the gym, but due to social anxiety and fear of being judged, are afraid to go to the gym. They’re worried about looking like the pandas in this meme: As a recovering highly self-conscious individual with a crippling need to be liked, I’ve done a lot of work on overcoming social anxiety and my fear...

1 day ago • 6 min read

To view this email as a webpage, click here Today is the most hope and optimism-filled day of the year. That’s great! Whatever goals or resolutions you’ve set for yourself, I’m excited for you! We’re all trying to better ourselves, and even though things haven’t worked out the way we wanted them to in the past, we hope this time will be different. Musician Nick Cave describes hope as “optimism with a broken heart,” and I think that’s beautifully accurate. We’re all trying to be different when...

8 days ago • 3 min read

To view this email as a webpage, click here Stephen Wilson Jr. was a scientist working for Mars, Inc. (Yeah, the Candy company). One day, his boss pulled him into an office and said something that changed his life: “Stephen, you’re about to get promoted.” Normally a cause for celebration, this was instead meant as a warning by his boss. In a past life, Stephen had been a guitarist in a small indie rock band. He also spent his evenings writing songs. His boss knew Stephen was a damn good...

16 days ago • 3 min read