Do you remember your parents trying to make you do homework instead of another hour of playtime? As a kid, you didn’t care and just wanted to play around but then your parents would trick you with a treat and you would find yourself giving in. It may be taxing to do at first but the more you accomplish a task, say you ended up being on top of your class because you followed your parents and studied hard, then you become more motivated to do it than yesterday.
JMC Academy refers to this as the “theory of operant conditioning.” It is defined as a “psychological concept that suggests we learn through reward and punishment.” The theory explains what positive reinforcement is: when our actions are followed by a pleasant outcome, we have a higher tendency to repeat the same behavior. When we associate a goal with a happy reward in the end and make it happen, we become more motivated to work harder the next time for another reward.
Yes, it has been around for a long time but one can still effectively argue that the reward system still works. We should always celebrate our smallest and biggest victories and here’s why:
We motivate ourselves through a reward.
To reiterate, we feel motivated to work harder when our minds have associated hard work with a reward that’s enjoyable for us. We’ll be motivated to work even at our worst because we are looking forward to the reward that we’ll get in the end.
But if we push ourselves too hard, it may sometimes lead to burnout. It is important that we also celebrate progress and small wins. Say, for example, you finish your day’s work an hour before log off time then you deserve to eat that ice cream you’ve been daydreaming about since work started in the morning.
We avoid burnout by rewarding ourselves.
You should reward yourself to avoid feeling burnt out. Fulfillment is a basic human need. If you are working towards a big goal and still feel that you’re nowhere near it, the tendency is that you would just feel overworked. You might even end up quitting because you got frustrated that all your efforts are not paying off.
To prevent this from happening, you have to set small goals and reward yourself for accomplishing them. In this way, you are able to enjoy the day-to-day grind and eventually see your big goal come to fruition.
We recharge through rewards.
Look at the reward as both the endpoint of your current hard work and starting point of a new goal. After accomplishing an assignment, you get a reward at the end that will make you happy. Because you are in an upbeat mood, you are more driven to begin another task that will help you become an even better person or closer to your long-term goals.
And lastly, we reward ourselves because we deserve it!
Don’t overthink about it anymore. You reward yourself because you deserve it. You resisted all temptations to quit. You set your body, heart, mind, and soul in achieving a goal. You made it happen. Simply put, you deserve the reward more than anyone else in the world because it’s your hard work that’s finally paying off.
Making A Rewards System that Works
Not all rewards are good for you or are catered to you. Some rewards may even be counterproductive so you must be mindful of what you give yourself. Consider the following to make a system that would work for your goals:
A reward should make you happy.
Zoom in on yourself and your interests. What makes your heart flutter? Is it a limited edition of a K-Pop album or is it traveling overseas with your friends? A reward must be something that’s valuable to you, something that you will work hard for because you want it that much, and something that is certified to make you happy in the end.
A reward should not cancel out your hard work.
Take this as a simple example. You had a grueling two-hour session at the gym. Afterward, you immediately think of junk to eat. Wait a second there. You didn’t just burn those calories to reward yourself with a pint of ice cream and a box of pizza, especially if your goal is to lose weight.
A reward should not be something that can be easily done or accessible.
Do not go for rewards that you could easily get. If you reward yourself with something you can do anytime, the tendency is for that reward to lose its value. You might just end up getting that reward even when you haven’t accomplished the task that you should do.
A reward should be proportional to the amount of effort exerted
The harder the work, the bigger the reward. Start small; maybe treat yourself to a hotel dinner after a month of hard work. After six months, you can buy yourself a luxury bag you’ve always had your eyes on. The rationale is that since you’re motivated to work, you’d have more resources for bigger rewards in the future should you stay consistent.
A reward should create good habits.
If your goal is to quit smoking, don’t reward yourself with another puff as you might just lose everything you worked hard for and before you know it, you’re back to square one. You want to reward yourself with a prize that will assist you to be consistent, to stay motivated, and to reach more life milestones.
Black Friday And Cyber Monday Deals
Two of the most awaited sales every year are coming at the end of the month. After Thanksgiving on November 25, Black Friday falls on November 26, and Cyber Monday on November 29. This is the right time to buy those things you’ve been putting off just because you didn’t have extra money. You’ll get the same reward at a much smaller price point, so why not?
One thing people often take for granted is furniture. You’re in luck because selected FlexiSpot items are on a discount starting now. You may get your hands on electric height adjustable standing desks, standing desk converters, and gaming chairs. Reward yourself for the great year and shop now!
