Having a plan in place doesn’t mean you’re going to get it all done.

And for some (many?) people, adding a rewards system is a great way of motivating yourself to put in the effort!

On this page, you can find a list of potential rewards you can give yourself after you’ve completed something.

But first: how rewards work

You might say “I don’t need to set myself a reward, the results are a reward in themselves”. Which they often are… but not always.

• If you put in hard work but don’t get expected results, it can be demotivating

• By rewarding yourself directly for the effort, your brain (subconsciously) learns to associate positive feelings with hard work.

The more specific, concrete, and immediate the reward, the better it works.

Immediate rewards work just like classical conditioning: if you get (or buy, book, or take) your reward right after finishing the work, your brain learns to associate the dopamine rush with the work you just put in. That’s (part of) the reason why some people love checklists: it’s so satisfying to check a task off your list!

Reward yourself for the effort you make, and for the actions you take. Not for potential results it might lead to. E.g. reward yourself for creating a landing page, for sharing it with your network, for showing up consistently to promote your thing. The new clients you might get a month from now are definitely a great reward for this week’s hard work… but they’re long-term and might not work as sufficient motivation for you to put in the work right now.

Apart from associating hard work with positive feelings, rewards can also

• Reduce resentment towards the work

• Help you feel more motivated short-term, and increase willpower long-term

• Help you break work into milestones – or help you make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound)

If you’re not working towards a one-time goal or target but instead trying to build a new habit or routine, decide when the reward kicks in: daily, weekly, monthly? And don’t forget to keep track of your efforts!

Keep your goals realistic! You could even set different rewards for different levels of effort, using the Minimum-Ideal-Outrageous method.

Last but not least: SMARTer your goals or targets, the easier it is to attach a reward to it.

Rewards vs Consequences

For some people, the carrot isn’t as effective as the stick: as we all know, fear is a better motivator than success.

This means that attaching a (negative) consequence to NOT taking action, for many people, is more efficient than rewarding yourself for doing it…

Real-life example: for months, I worked with a business coach towards launching my group coaching programme. The coach wasn’t cheap, but launching that programme would get me plenty of return on my investment! But month after month, I found myself finding excuses for not taking action… until one month, I decided that if I didn’t launch the programme that month, I was going to cancel the coaching. And lo and behold… I still found excuses for not doing it. And cancelled the coach. Only after doing that did I realise that even though the coaching was pretty great, the programme just didn’t feel right to me. I never launched it (but did plenty of other things instead!).

Different real-life example: I kept procrastinating on launching a new offer. I was paying (monthly) for software that would allow me to do the work, but just wasn’t even trying to sell the offer. Until I decided that if I didn’t launch “this month”, I would cancel the software… That was all the motivation I needed, I loved the software and really wanted to help more people with my new offer!

List of Rewards for your Hard Work

1. Buy a book. Hardcover, audiobook, Kindle, whatever you prefer. I like to keep a list of recommended books and when it’s time for me to pick a reward, I can buy it in one click on Amazon.

2. Or take a trip to your local bookstore – support a local business and spend some time browsing before picking your reward!

3. Get a massage

4. Have dinner with a friend – at a restaurant, or (if you like cooking) host a dinner at home

5. Share and celebrate with others: from sharing a milestone with an accountability partner/group to celebrating an achievement with your social media followers, external validation is gold (for most people).

6. Check off the item in a list. Works great for small achievements and single tasks.

7. Raise your rates! If you know you’re providing more value to your clients, there’s no time like the present for this.

8. Sign up for a course – online or in real life

9. Sign up for a cooking class, pottery workshop, photography masterclass, yoga class,…

10. Sign up for an online workshop, webinar, or masterclass

11. Sign up for a membership – online (e.g. a mastermind group) or offline (e.g. gym membership)

12. Sign up for a different type of subscription! From high-end fashion to a monthly art supply box, there’s something for everyone.

13. Or maybe you can go wild and sign up for a different TV streaming service? When you’ve watched all of Netflix, you could switch to HBO or Disney+!

14. Outsource something in real life. E.g. hire someone to clean your house, sign up for HelloFresh (or a similar service), and make your life a bit more comfortable.

15. Outsource something in your business! What’s one task or responsibility you resent and you could pay someone else to do?

16. Renew your favourite software or membership

17. Donate to your favourite cause…

18. Or support your favourite artist on Patreon

19. Take up a new hobby

20. Book a night out – a concert, comedy show, theater,…

21. Or for a bigger reward, get yourself a season pass!

22. No time, no money, no suitable concerts near you? Watch a live concert of your favourite band on YouTube.

23. Go to a carnival, festival, or arts & crafts show.

24. Play a game. Video games, board games, whatever rocks your boat! Civilization IV works for me, every time.

25. Treat yourself to a “Netflix afternoon”. Curl up on the couch, snacks and drinks within reach, and binge a series or enjoy a movie… guilt-free, because you earned it.

26. Or (for some) even better… see a movie in the middle of the day when other people are at work. The benefits of being self-employed, right?

27. Put on your swag and attend a game of your favourite sports team!

28. Or invite some friends over to watch the next game together

29. Or throw a “regular” party!

30. Regular too boring for you? Throw a costume party, a crime night, or a fancy tea party (with or without Mad Hatter)!

31. Put some money aside toward a bigger goal or a good cause. E.g. for every day you go for a run, put €5 into a Disneyworld jar. If the jar is going towards something you’d do with your family, you’ll find they’ll make every effort to keep you motivated!

32. Visit a museum or go to the zoo

33. Buy a new board game or puzzle

34. Invite your friends to an escape room

35. Get a new toy or accessory

36. Make something yourself: from paint-by-number painting or adult coloring to knitting a baby hat, taking the time to create something with your own hands can be so rewarding! Crochet, cross-stitching, embroidering, sewing, drawing, painting,…

37. Get yourself something yummie to eat or drink.

38. Or go out with someone for something yummie to eat or drink!

39. Invite your family to a BBQ to celebrate the end of your project

40. Spend some time in the garden

41. Go to a spa, book a manicure, a pedicure, waxing, a hair cut…

42. Or enjoy a spa day at home

43. Get yourself the tattoo or piercing you’ve been wanting for a while

44. Go shopping!

45. Take a full-day break from technology. No phone, no TV, no computer – disconnect.

46. Enjoy a bubble bath instead of a quick shower

47. Host a game night

48. Sleep in

49. Buy yourself something you wouldn’t normally buy for yourself. Doesn’t have to be expensive – scented candles or a magazine could be perfect!

50. Or for a bigger reward, buy something you’ve always wanted to buy but never thought you should…

51. Meet with a friend for coffee or lunch

52. Buy a lottery ticket

53. Buy yourself a nice journal or planner so you can keep up the good work

54. Discover a local activity or tourist hotspot (on a weekday or during low season)

55. Book a weekend getaway with your partner or a friend

56. Learn to snorkel, travel to Hawaii, and go swimming with manta rays at night

57. Visit a local orchard, winery, or other treat for all your senses

Taking a break as a reward

People often suggest “going for a walk” or “taking a day off” as a reward… and while they’re great rewards… taking time off, resetting your brain, and getting exercise should not be something you only “get” to do conditionally. These should be part of your daily routine or monthly planning.

That being said, if they’re not (part of your routine or planning)… then why not add them as a reward for actions you are 100% sure you will take without problems?

If you get into a situation where you weren’t inspired to write a blog post so you don’t get to breathe in fresh air today… you might end up in a vicious circle: going out for a 10-minute walk might have been the catalyst for a great blog post!

Great ways to set breaks as rewards:

• If you take 17 minutes to tidy up and clean, you get to go for a walk right after

• After you joined us for a 2-hour coworking session, you put on some music and dance for 10 minutes

• If you reached all your goals for the month, you pencil an extra day off into your calendar during next month’s planning