Rewarding Yourself for Good Choices Without Derailing Your Efforts

One of the best ways to make a habit stick is to reward yourself. When it comes to weight loss or healthy living habits, it can be tempting to reward yourself with a big slice of chocolate cake or some fun shopping. But the problem is that these rewards can actually limit your progress and make it harder for you to resist in the future. Using games to reward your good choices, on the other hand, can be a great way to reward yourself without derailing your efforts. Here are some ways that you can make this work for you.

Set Period of Time for Game Play

Casual game play is an excellent way to reward yourself while also giving yourself a chance to wind down. You can set aside a specific period of time that you get to play after you have completed your goals. If you struggle with going over your gaming time, then you might consider setting a timer. After the timer rings, you go on back to your responsibilities.

Play the Game as You Go

Playing card games online can also be a good way to reward small choices. Most of the time, these games offer you the option to play with other people or to play against an artificial intelligence. To help motivate yourself to get small tasks or unpleasant responsibilities out of the way, allow yourself one round after you complete each one. If the card game tends to take a while to play, you might consider getting to make one move per responsibility completed. The catch with this, though, is that it’s easy to cheat and let yourself play for longer periods of time. Make sure that you monitor yourself.

Set Specific Games as Rewards

You can also make specific card games rewards for completing certain tasks. Then you only get to play those games when you finish those tasks or reach those goal markers. You might love playing Texas Hold ’em Poker more than any other card game. When that’s your favorite game, you could then make it so that the only way you are allowed to play the game is if you complete your workout for the day. This way you keep yourself from playing the game more than you should while also making it more likely that you will get the workout done.

It may be tempting to give yourself a piece of pie after you finish your workouts or reach the five pound weight loss mark. However, in the long run, this is an ineffective method of rewarding yourself. Instead of rewarding yourself with something that could set you back, you should use something enjoyable that will just encourage you to keep going. Playing cards games is one such reward method. You can play all kinds of games online, and you can adapt the games to help you reach your goals and make it more likely that you will keep reaching them.