How to get yourself to do stuff you don’t want to do

I swallowed my first pill at 23. Maybe 24.

Until then? Two decades of placing a pill as far back of my throat as I could reach, taking a giant swig of water, tossing my head all the way back, and waiting for my mom to cheer: “You did it!”

And then I’d open my mouth, reach in and pull out the half-melted pellet that had no interest in going anywhere past my molars.

The worst was when we spent summers in India and I had to take malaria pills every week.

Cursed with the anti-swallowing gene, I had to mash up the pills and chew them. It is without a doubt THE most bitter, nasty taste ever!

So to make it more tolerable I’d mix it in with something I loved.

That’s when my strawberry, chocolate, and malaria pill parfait was born. 😬

Yes, it was as disgusting as it sounds but I’d make it through just for that last spoon of chocolate.

What I learned then was the key to getting myself to do stuff that I really didn’t want to do.

I call it Behavior Bundling and it’s when you combine (or bundle):

Something you WANT to do + Something you SHOULD do.

I want my chocolate parfait. I should have my malaria pills. I used one thing to help me with the other.

It’s basically combining something with short-term gratification that you enjoy (chocolate) and something that gives you long-term gratification that you procrastinate (eating pills that will keep me from dying).

Here are some other ways.

** Listen to a podcast or audiobook while you’re on the bike or elliptical.

** Have your bestie on speaker while cleaning up your desktop.

** Watch your favorite sitcom while filing papers.

** Treat yourself to your favorite latte by walking there or back.

** Listen to a seminar while organizing your bedside drawer.

Ready to take a stab at behavior bundling?

Here’s what you do. Create two lists.

One for all the things you want to be doing (watching tv, catching up with friends, getting through a book) and one for all the things you should be doing (getting exercise, folding laundry, filing bills).

Then bundle one item from list one to an item with list two. Voila! You get yourself a brand new bundle.

I’m gonna let you in on another awesome behavior bundle.

How about inhaling a pint of Haagen-Dazs while creating THE perfect to-do list, (so you never worry about anything falling through the cracks again)?

Enter: List Warrior. It’s a short, easy-to-follow course to crank out the perfect to-do list so you stay on top of emails, asks, next steps, ideas, appointments, and everything else you have going on at work and at home.

A to-do list that truly works is your most powerful tool for tackling ALL your shizzle. I seriously can not wait for you to get your hands on this training!

xo,

Mridu