I have a good friend who said that if she didn’t go running, she would pay money to a political party she strongly didn’t believe in. Another friend rewards herself with a massage when she gets her work done.
Are you more tempted by the lure of the carrot or are you more afraid of the stick? Are you more swayed to get things done by having rewards or negative consequences? We all function in different ways so figure out which has the biggest pull or push for you.
I’ve seen these methods used in conjunction with other things. One of the most extreme was with a friend who wanted to contact people to spread the news about his work.
He worked on his mindset with me, moved to a country where he knew he would be more productive (he’s a nomad), publicly announced to his mastermind group what he wanted to do and set himself a goal of contacting a certain number of people a day. He gave himself a forfeit that if he didn’t do what he said he would do, he would give 1000 EUR to the mastermind group. He had set himself up at every corner to make sure he would succeed. At every turn, he was reminded of his goal.
If you want something bad enough, it’s time to dial it up a notch. What carrots and sticks can you create in your life?