It May Seem Silly, But ...

How to "Reward" Yourself for Task Completion

In my blogposts yesterday, I wrote about using the Unveiling archetypes to help refine our Franklin-Covey Day Planner roles. Using our roles, in the context of a Weekly Compass, is a great way to organize tasks and priorities.

By the end of a multi-hour planning session yesterday, I had July's tasks and priorities laid out, a full column for each of six different roles. (one of them, High Priestess, doesn't require much "doing.") But the total set of tasks was overwhelming!

So I'm reclaiming one of my old little psychological self-motivation tricks. It may sound silly, but: I use stickers.

That's right, stickers.

The kind of stickers that little kids use.

I use little sparkly "stars" (multicolored, or gold) for completing each "task" on my to-do list. I use them on my task lists, so that as I complete the tasks, the total number of little, sparkly stickers mounts up, and I get motivated to get as many as possible. These are a lot more "rewarding" than simply checking off the tasks!

I use different kinds of "heart" stickers on my calendar page for each time I work out. That way, simply by glancing at my calendar page, I know whether I've been keeping up with my workout goals for a month, or if I've been distracted (or simply slacking off).

And I use "rainbows" for major achievements, such as performances or big presentations.

All this may sound juvenile. But we each have a "little kid" inside ourselves, and this "kid" can get overwhelmed by the prospect of a month of hard work. Sometimes, acknowledging that our "kid" needs a "reward" is just what it takes to get our "inner adult" motivated to carry through!