😈 In this episode, we talk about Temptation Bundling, a tool for helping you do things that aren’t very fun, but you know you should be doing.

We share our experiences with it, and how it’s helped us even start to enjoy what started out as unpleasant or intimidating tasks.

We then go on to discuss the two different ways to apply Temptation Bundling, depending on whether the task is cognitively demanding or not.

And finally, we acknowledge that "wanting to feel motivated" can be seen as an attitude that's very spoiled, but why it's admirable and even virtuous all the same.

OK, ok, if you don’t wanna listen to the ep but wanna know more about that last piece, here it is:

“Feeling motivated” is not necessary in order to do a task; just cuz you don’t feel like doing it doesn’t mean you can’t do it, right?! Stop wanting it to “feel good” first; don’t be such a spoiled brat that needs everything to “feel good.” And yet. If you do feel good, you’ll do a better job, won’t you? If you care about excellence, about work of high quality, and the virtue of doing a good job, you do need to feel at least pretty good about what you’re doing. So: good on you for wanting that feel good.

But first!

Before any of that in this ep…

First, we share the semi-dramatic story of a cat crisis averted. It’s a mini audio drama narrated by Siena with live foley sound effects by Toast.

Here we go with Temptation Bundling notes and links…

For tasks that don’t require much careful thinking

For stuff like doing or folding laundry, cleaning house, processing junk mail or the contents of a junk drawer, or walking/jogging on a treadmill, Temptation Bundling means listening to music, an audiobook or podcast, or watching a show on TV while you do said ugh task. (More free advice: If you’re walking/jogging on a street where you could get hit by a car or bus…don’t plug your ears with other sounds.)

For tasks that are more cognitively demanding

For stuff like doing taxes, learning a difficult subject, creating a planting plan, or other problem-solving type of activity, Temptation Bundling looks like creating an energetic atmosphere that helps get you in the mood for said ugh task.

• MyNoise – background sounds and ambiance (anything from a Japanese Garden to a Medieval Library to a B-17 Flying Fortress and more) via website or mobile app

• Naturespace – background sounds via mobile app

• Light some incense, spray a room spray

• Flower essences (we sell blends at LoveAndAboveCatClub.com)