Rewarding Habits to Create Personal Time Even When Exhausted from Housework and Childcare: A Gamified System to Overcome Procrastination

Nights when you can't get things done

Cleaning up dishes, hanging laundry, putting the kids to bed... before you know it, you're exhausted.

“I can't do it today, I'll do it tomorrow.”
Things I put off with that thought often ended up never getting done at all.

I repeated days like that over and over.

Even though I knew in my head that I had things I wanted to do, I couldn't take the first step when I was tired.

This is a major hurdle, especially for working moms.

Systematizing actions with rewards

I created a system called reward points.
It's a rule where you earn points when you spend a certain amount of time doing what you want to do.

The rules are very simple.
• 15 minutes of Kindle writing → 1 point
• Creating a diagram I'm not good at → 1 point
• 1 point = 1 piece of chocolate
• 5 points = 1 episode of anime
• 10 points = 1 movie

When you do what you want to do, you earn points!

You can use the points on the spot, or save them up and enjoy them all at once.

Think of it as creating your own personal reward currency.

Getting moving with a small reward

“I'm tired today... but I want to eat a piece of chocolate, so I want to earn 1 point. Maybe I'll just write for 15 minutes.”

When I think that and start moving, strangely enough, a switch flips and I can focus.
I've even found myself getting so absorbed in my work that I've spent hours on it.

In short, if you lower the barrier to starting what you want to do, you will naturally be able to spend time on those things.

Conclusion

Working moms are always busy with housework and childcare.
That is precisely why it is important to create a system that allows you to continue doing what you want to do.

If you are also struggling because you want to do something but it feels like a chore, why not try a reward habit?

Thank you for reading this far.
May your day be a wonderful one.