Make it FUN

Would you spend ten hours writing a report for your boss if you were not getting paid?

How does cleaning the house while the whole family sits on the couch watching a movie sound?

What do you think of spending hours preparing a meal and then someone taking it away before you get to taste it?

I would dare say that most people would not want to do any of the above!

But…. if you are passionate about any of these tasks, you will probably have no problem doing them for fun, irrespective of the payment or external reward, because the activity itself was rewarding.

There are people who are so passionate about what they do that sharing their work with others in a ten page, detailed report would be enjoyable, possibly even exciting!

You may be the person who gets intense satisfaction from cleaning and are so happy to have the members of the household out of your way, while you enjoy some quiet time with your sponges and mop.

If cooking and baking is pleasurable, you may love spending your days in the kitchen producing culinary delights for others to enjoy!

But if that is not you, and you still have to get things done in your house, at work, etc. You can create that excitement in other ways.

Stacey is a self proclaimed coffee addict. And she won’t drink instant! She likes the idea of a barista preparing her latte to her unique specifications multiple times a day. It doesn’t help the situation that there is a Starbucks strategically placed between her office and where she parks her car. She has all the implements to make her own coffees at home and in the office, but she loves it when it is done for her- no effort, no clean up, just a yummy drink in minutes.

Stacey knew there had to be a way to enjoy her coffee without breaking the bank, but she struggled to motivate herself to make her own food. After thinking through the situation, she came up with a really good motivation. Stacey paid herself a dollar every time she made coffee at home (instead of heading to Starbucks). This created a buy myself whatever I want fund, and it added up pretty quickly. The instant gratification of the dollar, helped her hold off for the long-term reward.

What gets you excited? Is it chocolate? Is it feedback from someone else? Take a minute and come up with two or three things that would be good “payment” for your hard work.

What did you come up with? Is it a tangible reward? Is it intangible?

How can you build that “payment” into the hard “job” that you have to get done?