Learning to be a Trained Seal

One of the things that Kate, my job-search-buddy, wants me to do is create a list of treats/rewards to give myself after I do my allotted job search tasks everyday. And the rule is: at least 20 minutes a day, no matter what. The theory being that you can't lose momentum and 20 minutes a day, even when you don't have 20 minutes will keep things in motion.

Do the work, get a fish tossed at you.

I've never been good with the "do a task then reward yourself" philosophy. Something about delaying gratification ... I don't get it. Seriously, instant gratification takes far too long, and life's short. If I want the Snickers bar/Gus Maddox scene/glass of red wine/half-hour of blog surfing, I'll probably just make it happen.

But, being the trouper that I am, I'll play along. I'll devote my 20 minutes this afternoon to brainstorming up some treat/rewards that are delayable and might motivate me to work when I don't feel like it.

It'll be interesting to see what I come up with ... and since I'll be on my new unemployment budget, none of them should be digging to deep into the wallet.

For all those who might be productivity-inclined (and for those who aren't), what kinds of fish would motivate you to balance a ball on your nose? Share your success (or crash-and-burn failures ... those are always more fun anyway) stories.