Let’s talk about rewards in building good habits. Imagine that feeling of happiness when you do something you like, like eating your favorite food or watching a fun movie. That good feeling is because of a special thing called dopamine. Dopamine is like a motivator in our brain. It makes us want to do things that are good for our survival, like eating and drinking. When we do these things, our brain gives us a reward of dopamine, and we feel good.

But here’s the cool part: we don’t have to actually do the fun thing to get the dopamine. Just thinking about it can release dopamine, making us feel excited. So, when we’re trying to build a new habit, if we make it something we look forward to, it’s more likely we’ll keep doing it.

Now, let’s talk about a cool idea called ‘temptation bundling.’ It’s when you combine something you need to do but don’t like with something you enjoy. This way, you use the power of dopamine to make the not-so-fun task more enjoyable.

Take Ronan Byrne, for example. He wanted to exercise more, but he didn’t like it. However, he loved watching Netflix. So, he connected his exercise bike to his laptop and made a rule that he could only watch Netflix while exercising. This way, he turned something boring into something fun.

You can do this too. For instance, if you need to exercise but love reading gossip, promise to read gossip magazines only at the gym. Or if you want to watch sports but need to make calls, tell yourself you can watch sports after making a certain number of calls. By making the boring stuff more enjoyable, you’ll feel motivated, like riding a wave of happiness, and you’ll build positive habits along the way.