TL/DR:
- Most people reward themselves after they finish, but finishing isn’t always in your control
- Starting is the hardest part, and it’s something you can control
- Motivation follows action, not the other way around
- Reward yourself for starting to lower resistance and build momentum
The Whole Shebang:
Perhaps you’re a fan of motivating yourself with rewards.
Perhaps you think rewards don’t work for you.
Either way, I bet I know when that reward is happening.
It’s the end, right?
You reward yourself when you’ve finished the task.
What if you flipped that on it’s head?
What if, instead of rewarding yourself when you finished, you rewarded yourself for getting started?
Why?
Starting is the hardest part.
Starting is the hump you need to get over.
Usually, it’s all downhill from there. (In a good way.)
If you’re waiting for motivation, you might be waiting for a looong time.
Research shows that, contrary to popular belief, action begets motivation and not the other way around.
Once you get started, the motivation will come.
And you can ride that motivation.
But you’ve got to get started first.
So, reward yourself for getting started.
You don’t have to take your reward the second you get started; you can save it for later.
But you get your reward regardless of whether you “finished”.
The reward is yours simply for starting.
You have a whole lot more control over getting started than on when you’ll finish.
Stuff comes up.
Things take longer than you expect.
But starting?
That’s something you can control.
So reward yourself for starting.
The finishing will follow.