Reward systems...

[cybermule]

I got told off the other day by a friend at work for using cigarettes as a reward system. I'm an intermittent smoker - sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I try to make them meaningful, and the example in question was having a fag after each seminar I gave over the summer (each one was 100+ people, and I hate public speaking).

So then I wondered what I could actually use as a reward system, and should I indeed have one at all? At this stage in my life, I definitely need little carrots on the end of all the miscellaneous sticks. For me, it used to be food, but that's just as unhealthy psychologically as tobacco in my opinion (and probably physically - I've only just made any serious inroad on repairing my waistline :p). I'm just flat out not interested in clothes and appearance twiddling, and things like books and reading are too essential to be doled out as treats.

Hmm.

Comments

[fyatuk.livejournal.com]

I agree. Its hard to find something that works as a "treat" for yourself. I haven't found anything yet. I can't really count cigarettes since I'm well and truly addicted. That's one of the reasons I can't really motivate myself. No reward.

Be nice to come up with something else as a reward for you, but I'm just not smart like that or something. As I like to say: Ich weiss nichts...

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

but I'm just not smart like that or something

Thanks for trying :) It's OK - I wasn't really looking for suggestions so much as musing on the nature of treats in general. Like, maybe I should go back to basics and look at all the things I think I need to be treated for doing, and see if I can eliminate some. Until then, I'll just smoke cigarettes - I didn't so much get worried by the exact thing as the ideas behind it.

As I like to say: Ich weiss nichts...

Ehm - these white nights? Foolishly I chose to do Latin instead of German at school...

[amiga500.livejournal.com]

I tend to go for cheap makeup (not that I'm much good with the stuff, but I occasionally enjoy having shiny green toenails or slightly pinker lips), a nice pen, or a block of Sculpey for most things that seem to need rewards, but that doesn't always seem like enough. Seeing the gynecologist usually warrants a Smiths record, a little stack of 45's, or a couple trashy old books, sometimes lunch too (not that I don't usually have it, but here the treat is having something made for me rather than doing it myself) if it was really bad. If it's something I wouldn't normally buy, but it's not too horribly expensive, it'd probably work.

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the ideas :)

I occasionally enjoy having shiny green toenails

Ooo - I do enjoy having alien toenails :D It's the only makeup I ever bother with, and I just let people buy me cool new colours. Like right now, I have some purple-bronze that my brother gave me :)

a block of Sculpey

What's that?

Seeing the gynecologist

Yeah - that needs big treats.

[amiga500.livejournal.com]

Sculpey is like Fimo, but a bit softer, or if you're not familiar with that, it's a polymer clay, used for making all sorts of things, from the various cute bears 'n' stuff they show on the .com site, to more elaborate things like those at http://www.desiredcreations.com/. I don't really have much equipment now, so I mostly use it for miniatures.

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

Ahh ... fimo. I remember that - I loved that stuff. Does sculpey harden off like fimo when you bake it? Oh, and have you any pictures of your miniatures? I'd love to see them :)