How to Trick
Your Brain to
Like Doing
Hard Things
Written by Colby Kultgen
Discipline.
Necessary for a good life, but often seen as
something tedious or punishing.
Here’s the secret: It doesn’t have to feel bad.
In fact, you can train your brain to crave
challenging activities, making them
something you actually look forward to.
Here are 7 ways to do it:
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
1. Temptation Bundling
Pair the "ugh" with the "yay."
Love podcasts?
Only listen to them while exercising.
Suddenly, leg day is podcast day. Boom.
This is how you start to create those
positive associations in your brain.
Image Credit: Behavioral Insight
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
2. Set micro goals
Start so small it’s laughable.
Instead of “run 5 miles,” try “run to the
end of the street.”
These tiny accomplishments release
dopamine, creating an addictive
feedback loop.
Start small, then scale it up.
Image Credit: [Link]
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
3. Make it social
Join a group where hard things are normal.
CrossFit, running clubs, book clubs
—whatever.
Peer pressure can work in your favor if you
use it correctly.
Bonus tip: Use a social app like Strava.
I started last week, and I’m already hooked
on seeing me and my friend’s progress.
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
4. Delay gratification
Train your brain to love the wait.
By practicing delayed gratification, you
start to associate the reward with the
effort you put in.
Whether it’s waiting 10 minutes before
grabbing a snack or holding off on
checking your phone, you're teaching
yourself to savor the reward.
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
5. Build a streak
Track your ‘hard thing’ streak.
Miss a day? Start over.
There’s something oddly satisfying about
keeping a streak going—and the longer it
gets, the more you want to keep it alive.
I use this Streaks app widget on my phone:
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
6. Turn your to-do list
into a video game
I got this idea from George Mack.
To-do lists = Anxiety inducing
Video game levels = Excitement inducing
Instead of viewing tasks as chores, think
of them as mini-quests.
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
7. Visualize ‘future you’
Nothing is more motivating than imagining
how much better your future self will be if
you push through the hard stuff today.
Every workout.
Every project.
Every uncomfortable conversation.
They're all investments in that future you.
How to Trick Your Brain to Like Doing Hard Things
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