[WoD] Give Yourself Rewards

Yesterday, I wrote about punishments, and I promised to talk about rewards today for my War on Distraction and journey towards NaNoWriMo. So let's jump right in. Rewards are probably even more important than any of the punishments you set up. Remember this. You'll want to have more rewards than punishments.


So let's talk about some different levels of rewarding yourself. First, you should try to reward yourself for writing so many words in a single setting. A simple reward for a simple goal. I plan on stocking up on some Halloween candy and giving myself a little bit every time I write 900-1200 (or even more) words in one setting. That's close to half of a day's writing.


Moving up a level, you will next want to reward yourself for reaching your daily goal. Allow yourself a distraction or two. Watch an episode or two of a TV show you enjoy. You're done writing for the day, so you should really enjoy the rest of it.


Do something bigger when you reach the weekend quota. Go out to a movie or visit the bookstore and buy a book. You deserve it.


The reward for reaching 50,000 or more will have to be huge. It's time to take a break. Find something big for this. Throw yourself a little party. Go crazy. You just finished a huge task. Congratulations!


Create a list of your punishments and rewards. If you want you can print them out and hang them somewhere you'll see everyday. Use it as your driving force.


Let me reiterate this from yesterday: you need to be creative here. This is your carrot. And you are the donkey. Just try not to be as stubborn as one. You can do this. You just need to push yourself.