Using Reward Systems

Written By Colēgia

Feeling rewarded for doing something difficult is something that many of us want. We want both an inherent sense of satisfaction from working on something along with something at the end of it to look forward to. A good way to implement this is by learning how to make and use your own reward systems. Today we want to take a look at some ways we can do this and how it can be effective.

Going The Extra Mile

For many people doing the minimum amount of something and then stopping there is logically the most sound thing to do. It doesn't require extra energy and in some cases lets us avoid diminishing returns for the time put in. With that in mind, there are still many reasons to go the extra mile for things but sometimes a reward system might be necessary to get there. A good example of this is extra credit for school. The extrinsic value that it provides is extra points that can be applied to either an assignment or a difficult test that we may need a buffer for. The intrinsic value it gives is that it trains us to be comfortable with doing something extra. Recognizing which type of reward gives us better motivation is important since we want to be okay with justifying putting in extra work. After all, we should value our time if we're going above and beyond.

“there are still many reasons to go the extra mile for things but sometimes a reward system might be necessary to get there.”

Rewarding Yourself As A Bonus

Establishing good habits is one of the overall goals of a reward system. The important thing to keep in mind is that the allure of getting something for our time can occasionally fade and require us to have a bigger reward to keep us interested in the process. A better approach to this is using the rewards as a way to work on habits. For example, if we want to consistently feel like we're ahead in a class, getting homework done earlier in the week is one way to do so. To give us even more incentive to do this, we can opt to buy ourselves something if we specifically get our homework done on a certain date in time. The benefit to doing this approach is that it ensures that we're taking care of a responsibility while setting up the habit of treating ourselves as well.

“Establishing good habits is one of the overall goals of a reward system.”

Rewards Make Tasks More Approachable

It's inevitable that we'll encounter tasks that we don't always click with. In many cases, we simply have to make the best of the situation and allow our minds to see things from a more positive or constructive point of view. Sometimes though even with the best frame of mind we may still feel resistant to doing things and that's okay. Expecting ourselves to like everything we do isn't realistic or healthy. Reward systems work because they can make even some of the most difficult of tasks accessible for people. They provide a means of giving motivation in the short term so we can build good habits in the long term along with the right mental framework to get these things done. Rewards can help us in many ways and it's up to us to find the system that's effective.

Colēgia

Colēgia

Previous

Learning How To Find Solutions
Next

Happiness And Staying Social