Where to Start, Part 2: Rewards

In part 1 I discussed setting SMART goals and starting your notebook. Today I want to discuss the next important step in setting yourself up for success, planning your rewards.

Step 3: Rewards

Now that you have set clear, SMART, goals it's time to define and set your rewards.

Any parent understands the importance of Star Charts! 

Rewarding yourself for good behavior may seem silly, but positive reinforcement is important at the start of any behavior change. If  you know eating your veggies all month will end with you buying the dress you've been eyeing for weeks you'll be more apt to stick to the vegetable eating goal than if your only reward was losing 2 pounds. Knowing your hard work will pay off in a tangible way helps make the behavior stick, and while a better number on the scale is motivational in itself, it's not always reliable and after a while it may not be enough to make the behavior you're trying to change seem worth giving up the candy bars or potato chips for. 

Fun shoes are always on my reward list, they are something I know I'll work hard for! 

There are many ways to reward yourself. This is the way I go about it. I'll talk about other reward systems in later blogs but for now, I want to go into the details of setting up a reward system!

In order for rewards to be effective they must follow the SMART plan as well. 

1. They need to be specific, written out so you know what you're getting for your hard work. 

2.They need to be based on a measurable goal. If you just plan to buy yourself a new outfit when you lose weight, you'll either go out and buy a new outfit after 2 pounds or never buy that new outfit because you don't know when you hit your goal of 'lose weight'. 

3. It needs to be attainable, meaning you can't say that once you lose 20 pounds you'll go on a year long trip through Europe unless you have the time and money to devote to such vacation. If you plan a reward for yourself that is unattainable, you wont actually be rewarding yourself once you hit your goal.

4. Your reward should be relevant to you. If you set a small reward of if you finish an hour long workout you can play video games for an hour later in the day but you don't enjoy playing video games, then that reward isn't going to be something you work for. However if you really enjoy watching Desperate Housewives, setting a goal of getting to watch Desperate Housewives in the evening after going for a 5 mile run in the morning will be more fulfilling and motivate you to get up and run. 

5. Like being tied to a measurable goal, your rewards need to be set to a time-bound goal as well. Saying you'll buy a new pair of running shorts if you run 3 miles everyday and not specifying for how long will mean you eventually hit a point where you stop running everyday because the reward seems out of reach. Saying that if you run 3 miles 6 times a week for a month you'll reward yourself with a new set of shorts will keep it in mind that if you want those shorts you better work for it! 

Beyond needing to follow the SMART format goals also need to be flexible, revisited and updated often. For your reward system you will need to set product goals that are specific to your process goals. If one of your process goals is to eat vegetables everyday, now you need to pencil in a product goal of 'if I eat vegetables everyday for the next month I will buy a new pair of high heels.' Then at the end of the month you must evaluate how well you did with your vegetable eating and, if you meet your goal, reward yourself and make a new product goal. But instead of just eating vegetables this time make it more specific like "I will eat 4 servings of vegetables everyday and once at least once a week try a new vegetable.' You keep continuing this process until you feel you will be eating vegetables everyday for the rest of your life and not forcing yourself to eat all your broccoli. 

This process is valid for any behavior you are wanting to change. If you want to start running, set a goal of getting a new piece of athletic clothing if you run 1 mile everyday for a week. Then the next week make it 2, and so on until you are running everyday and loving it. 

Make sure you also set a reward for when you hit your overall product goal. If the whole reason you're running and eating broccoli is to lose 40 pounds, make sure you have a big reward in store for that 40 pound mark. For me it's to get my next tattoo!! 

I know I said I would talk about your weight loss contract in this blog as well but I'll leave it at just rewards for now and make the contract a separate blog. Leave a comment and let us know how you reward yourself for your progress!