Introduction

I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “temptation bundling.” It’s a strategy that was popularized by Australian entrepreneur Zoe McLeod, who used it to help her quit smoking. The basic idea is that you take something you want to do (like practice English) and combine it with something you want less of (like watching TV). By doing so, you trick your brain into thinking that practicing English will satisfy both desires—and before long, practicing English becomes habit.

Watch your favorite series in English (Keeping up with the Kardashians, anyone?)

Temptation bundling is an effective way to overcome your inner resistance and create a new habit.

How does it work? You have a guilty pleasure that you’d like to indulge in, but there’s also something you know you should be doing: learning English! So what do you do? Temptation bundling makes it easy by combining the two activities into one fun activity.

For example: If watching Keeping up with the Kardashians is your secret vice, then set up a plan with yourself where every time you watch an episode of KUWTK in English (with subtitles), you get some sort of reward or praise after each episode ends. Your goal here is not necessarily to improve your English skills but rather to make watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians feel more productive by tacking on another benefit for doing so (like getting some ice cream). By waiting until after each episode has finished and rewarding yourself afterward, this gives both tasks equal value and makes them easier for us as humans because we don’t have to make any decisions about what’s important—we just go ahead and indulge ourselves!

Let yourself be drawn in by a mystery novel

You might be thinking that you don’t have time to read an entire book in English when there are so many other things on your plate. That’s why I recommend an easy-to-read mystery novel—the kind of book you can’t put down but also gets a little lost in amidst the hectic pace of modern life.

To make this work, though, you need to keep it simple: pick one short chapter at a time and read it slowly and carefully. You’ll be surprised how much easier this will make the whole process feel!

Listen to podcasts in English on your daily commute

English listening is such a great way to practice your English skills and expand your vocabulary. You don’t need to be perfect, or even good at all—you just need enough of an understanding that you can follow along with what’s going on and make sense of it. The more you listen to podcasts in English, the better you’ll get at speaking and understanding these kinds of texts!

You can listen to podcasts while walking down the street on your daily commute (or riding public transportation), while doing exercises at the gym, while driving somewhere new (if you’re lucky enough to live in one of those places where driving is possible), or even while relaxing outside on a sunny day.

Host an “English-only” game night with friends (and don’t forget to provide some beer!)

You might also want to consider hosting an “English-only” game night with friends. If you’re not sure which games would be appropriate, try one of the following:

• Board games—Play a board game that has rules only in English (or another language you’re learning). You could try Monopoly or Scrabble.
• Card games—Buy special cards for a card game like poker or Uno, and use these instead of regular ones when playing with your friends. Make sure they’re all printed in English!
• Drinking games—There are many drinking games that don’t require any special equipment: beer pong and flip cup are two popular options (just make sure you have enough cups!).

You can create a an English habit by combining it with other things you enjoy doing.

Temptation bundling is a way to make a behavior more likely to happen. It involves pairing your desired habit with something else you enjoy, like going to the gym or playing video games. The idea is that you’ll feel more motivated to do the thing you really want when it’s bundled with something else you love.

Temptation bundling is awesome because it allows you to create an English habit even if it doesn’t appeal much on its own! However, you can use temptation bundling for anything: drinking water every morning instead of soda, working out three times a week instead of twice as often… or practicing English daily instead of once in awhile!

Conclusion

With Temptation Bundling, you can start small and work your way up. You’ve got nothing to lose by trying this tactic, and everything to gain! The best part is that it doesn’t take much time or effort: just a little bit of planning ahead so that you keep yourself accountable for your English practice.