Temptation bundling
Only allow yourself something you want while doing something you avoid
Audiobooks only while walking. A favorite show only while on the bike. Ration the thing you crave to the activity you avoid, so the pull of one powers the other; the discipline is in genuinely withholding the reward outside the pairing.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Greg McKeownDoes it
Author · Essentialism
Listens to the great classics while running, exercising and traveling. He reckons he has got through a pile of them this year with no separate reading time.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #786 transcript - Jeff NippardDoes it
Natural bodybuilder · Science-based lifting
His example is personal. He pairs cardio, which he is tempted to skip, with the true crime video essays he already wants to watch, and notes that bodybuilder friends of his do the same with video games.
Source: jeffnippard.com blog: How To Get Lean & STAY Lean Forever (Using Science) - James ClearRecommends
Author · Atomic Habits
Suggests pairing something you want with something you avoid: Premack's Principle, an idea he credits to Katy Milkman.
Source: jamesclear.com: temptation bundling
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity or fitness.
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Minimalist training
Short, hard sessions built on a few sets per muscle, drop sets and non-competing supersets
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
ABC goal system
Set three levels for a daily goal so a bad day still counts as progress
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Implementation intentions
Decide in advance: I will do X at TIME in PLACE
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Two-a-day training
Splitting the day: an aerobic session in the morning, strength work later on
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Walking meetings
Taking the conversation on foot instead of around a table, and ending it with the walk
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Home gym
A private training space at home, from a garage rack to a fully equipped room
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.