Buzz
Rewarding yourself can backfire. For example, if you tell yourself, “I’ll only listen to my favorite podcast while I’m at the gym,” it only takes one weak moment to realize you could cheat and listen to it anytime. Instead, try something different: Reward yourself with something that holds no enjoyment at all. Perhaps just a checkmark on your calendar.
I first came across this idea from writer Tim Clare’s podcast. If you're seeking motivation, he argues that the reward must be so underwhelming that it’s not the reward you’re really working for. He shared that he marks each day with a checkmark on his calendar for every day he writes, and after a week, he earns a gold star. Another writer, Jill Twiss, recently tweeted that she gives herself stickers for attending the gym.
Clare shared with Mytour that this method has worked for him in both building fitness habits and improving his writing. There’s also a theory that a poor reward could make you more invested in the habit, thanks to cognitive dissonance:
Changing our behavior for a small reward triggers a mismatch in our brains – according to this theory – which makes it easier to resolve that uncomfortable, distracting ‘dissonance’ by adjusting how much we value the activity or goal, rather than altering the now ingrained habit.
Whatever the reason, it seems effective for many of us. I keep a calendar where I note each day I exercise (“L” for lifting, or a number for miles, like “3” if I ran three miles). This system has evolved over time; I once used to color-code the days. Either way, I enjoy looking at the calendar and seeing the days of the week and month fill up.
The best part: There's no point in cheating. What are you going to do—lie to yourself about not going to the gym? But watching that streak of numbers or stickers build up becomes its own reward. You’re essentially rewarding yourself with the satisfaction of maintaining your habit.
