““We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.””
How do we go from out of shape writers to the kinds of artists who are in peak condition? And how do we pick ourselves back up when we, once again, fall off the writing wagon?
Temptation Bundling, that's how.
Temptation bundling is one of those productivity hacks that are so simple we take them for granted and don't make good use of them.
It's basically this:
Combine something you really want to do with something you
* should * do.
I know "should" is one of those words we're trying to erase out of our vocabularies (and for good reason!), but it often feels like we "should" be writing. We want to, but we're not. There's a lot of reasons - inner critic, self-doubt, limiting beliefs, etc. In fact, your inner critic is likely tricking you into the "shoulds" feeling in the first place. Writing is a drag, you'll never reach your goals, what's the point anyway? (Sound familiar?)
Here's the thing: you can trick your resistance.
There was a study* done where people who wanted to exercise were given three motivators:
One group received free highly-anticipated audiobooks, but could only listen when at the gym.
The second group received the free audiobooks, but they could listen to them anywhere. They were encouraged to listen at the gym, but it was up to them.
The third group received a gift card for audio books, and were encouraged to work out more.
So, how did that work out?
Group #1 worked out 51% more than anyone else - because they were temptation bundling. The thing they wanted was only linked to the thing they should do.
Group two, who could listen to the audiobooks whenever, exercised 29% more than the folks who got the gift cards.
* Study conducted by Dr. Katherine Milkman.
Here are a few ways you can try temptation bundling to get you in the writer's seat...
My personal favorite: I can only be cozy in bed with blankets and my kitty in the middle of the afternoon if I'm writing.
Only drink your favorite beverage of the day while writing. (Unless it's booze - that won't help you).
You can only sit in your favorite writing chair for writing. Put that chair in your favorite place in the house, and it will be hard to resist sitting your bum down.
You can only light that really expensive candle you love when you're writing.
That yummy snack you can't get enough of? Only eat it when you're writing.
That fancy planner you got? You can only use it JUST BEFORE you begin writing for the day, after you've sat down in the writer's seat and marked off your writing time.
Your CP, who you love to chat all things writing with? You two can only jump on a call if you both wrote that day.
Temptation bundling is a bit different from your traditional rewards method, because it's combining that thing you want with your writing, not as a reward after writing. (Though the last one is more reward-based, but because it's a relationship founded on your writing, I think it works).
