Pebblepup's Writing Den

Sometimes what you need is some strong motivation when you are stuck. You can look online for a pep talk, but that can lead to more procrastination. The internet can be a bit of a rabbit hold. Yet, there’s another way to motivate yourself. That way is to give yourself a reward for reaching a goal.

These rewards can be anything from a piece of candy to buying something you want. The simpler the reward, the better it is for you. I sometimes use this method to get things done. If I write a thousand words, I can play a game on my phone.

This simple idea is to set a goal like writing for a time then choosing a reward for finishing it. Then you work on reaching the goal you set for yourself. When you do so, then you can have your reward.

The best practice here is to have a list of rewards for reaching your writing goal. Being overweight, I stay away from food type rewards, although you can use food as a reward. I use playing games on my phone as my reward. I don’t use food as I have a weight problem. So I set a goal of writing a set number of words in a set amount of time. Then I can play a game or do a puzzle on my phone.

For example, if I want to write a thousand words in thirty minutes. I set that as a goal. When I reach the goal, I can select a game on my phone and play it.

Of course, you need to establish guidelines for this kind of reward system. Play one game for every five hundred words you write in a writing session or something like that. If you do things that way, you will get whatever you want to write, written. You will also have some fun while doing it. You can use this method for more than writing. If you complete your homework, you can play a video game. If you do the dishes, you can play a game.

The whole point is to encourage you to complete something that is giving you trouble. Rewards can be a great way to motivate yourself to do something you are having trouble doing. Using rewards to get things done is a technique that has worked for centuries. It’s the basis of paying people for working.