Maya Shankar

So maybe it's go for more runs or do a tough writing session with an immediately rewarding activity.

But importantly, you have to deny yourself access to the immediately rewarding activity in every other context so that it becomes uniquely paired with the hard activity.

So what happens in the mind is that you start unconsciously pairing these two things together so that you look forward to doing the hard thing.

So I'll give you a very, apparently I'm a kid, but when it came to writing my book, I would put a bowl of candy on my desk.

No joke.

I was only allowed to eat from the candy bowl when I was in a deep writing session and I could never have candy outside of that space.

And over time, it's like, you know, kind of looking forward to the coffee chews, but you can't have them any other time.

And I use this when it comes to working out.

So I'll save my favorite songs for when I'm working out, favorite TV shows for when I'm doing laundry, folding laundry or doing the dishes.

Like I just do these temptation bundles constantly throughout my life.

And it's funny, it makes me a...

potentially undesirable wife because my husband and I were cooking dinner and I remember he's like, oh, let's play the latest Kacey Musgraves album.

And I was like, no, no, no, no, that's a workout album.

We can't listen to that.

That's part of my temptation bundling.

But it's funny how the brain will slowly just start to look forward to the thing because it's like, hey, I get this fun treat.

And oftentimes, by the way,

our long-term goals, right?

When it comes, in my case, writing a book, getting stronger, they don't deliver super immediate rewards.

And that's why these smaller treats can be really effective.