Habit-Pair Things You Don’t like with TV

By Kelly

I’ve always been a fan of habit-pairing, created by Tiny Habits author BJ Fogg, where you pair a habit you need to form with one you already do regularly. You can even create a reward system for doing the new habit by pairing things you need to do with things you like to do. Over time, this associates the habit you don’t like doing with positive feelings, making it easier to maintain.

So I started thinking about things I like and do no matter what and things I don’t like but need to do, but don’t.

What I found is that I often tell myself I don’t have time to do something, yet I somehow find time to marathon an entire 10-episode season of a show. So I started thinking that the hack to getting anything unpleasant done is to do it while watching TV.

Here’s what I’ve successfully paired with watching TV this month:

• Folding laundry

• Lifting weights

• Stretching

• Writing

But here’s the key: You have to commit. You can’t let yourself watch TV without accomplishing one of the things you need to do, or it loses its power. So every time you watch TV, make yourself do something you need to do, too.

Happy Habit-Pairing!