Reward Yourself!

You wake up in the morning and just do not feel like doing anything that day. You have several alternatives - do nothing that day, or try to accomplish your goals just like you normally would.

or ...

So you have just worked hard to get a goal accomplished - or at least partially accomplished. You have spent concentrated efforts on your goals and have done well.

How do you make doing the right thing (working to accomplish your goals) the more likely choice in the future?

You reward yourself, of course.

You can overcome a lack of desire to accomplish some task by creating a small reward system. Rewards will get you to more likely accomplish something you would rather just put off until later.

The problem is when you do put something off, it then gets put off again. A rewards system will help you to be more productive during those times when your enthusiasm wanes.

Reward Yourself!

You should create a reward system that rewards you all day long, even for the small chores. There are probably some things you enjoy doing during the day such as check emails, a quick look at Facebook, calling a friend, going outside to enjoy the weather, etc.

These things you enjoy doing that might otherwise serve as obstacles in getting work accomplished can be chosen as rewards for getting things done.

Next, you can create larger rewards for accomplishing larger goals. Of course, the idea is that the rewards do not counteract what you are trying to accomplish.

For example, if your goal is to weigh 200 pounds by August 1st, you might promise yourself a night out with your spouse to the movies (skipping the dinner before the movie of course.

Reward Habit Implementation

Habit implementation is designed to take the distracting habits that might take us away from accomplishing goals to fun rewards that reward us when accomplishing these goals.

Here is one way to apply the reward technique,

• Make a list of a few things you enjoy daily (exercise, reading, social media, talking on the phone, going outside, watch a little TV)
• Use a time-blocking system technique where you concentrate on a goal for 25 minutes, and then take a short break
• Resist all temptation to do anything but that task during the 25 minutes knowing a brief reward is coming
• Reward yourself with a five-minute break to do some small reward
• Rinse and repeat throughout the day and watch your productivity soar

If you accomplish something, then reward yourself big.

This is a great way to fight the lack of desire to do a specific task - you can break that task down into small pieces and get a reward when each small piece is done.

Be creative with rewarding yourself!

Does anybody else use a reward system to help accomplish goals? Do you reward yourself frequently throughout the day or just when big goals are reached?

Thanks for the input,

Dave.