How to align and be disciplined

1. Objective:

The purpose of the procedure is to create an incentive scheme to incentivise myself to be disciplined and aligned with my goals. The scheme dictates that I will receive points for completing my habits and weekly tasks. I will spend points to reward myself with things I enjoy. Furthermore, the scheme will specify rewards for bigger goals I want to achive.

2. Steps:

Step 1: Create an incentive scheme

  1. Create a list of daily tasks/habits that I want to complete. Attach a point value to each habit. Based on this information, create a table to track weekly task completion and points. The columns of the table should correspond to days of the week, and the rows should correspond to tasks/habits. Below the habits, there should be a row for the total points earned each day as well as additional cell to track the total points earned for the week.
  2. Create a list of rewards that I can "purchase" with the points I earn. The rewards should be things that I enjoy and that motivate me to complete my tasks. Assign a point value to each reward.
  3. Create a list of bigger goals that I want to achieve. Each goal can be broken down into milestones. For each milestone, assign a target completion date as well as a reward for achieving it. This could be a larger reward than the daily rewards to provide additional motivation e.g. dinner out at a restaurant, a new book, etc. Based on this, create a table to track the milestones, target completion dates, actual completion dates, and rewards earned.
  4. Create a table for tracking the points earned and rewards redeemed. This table should have columns for the date, goal achieved, points earned, rewards redeemed, points spent and running total of points. When points are earned, fill the table with the date, the goal achieved, and the points earned. When rewards are redeemed, fill the table with the date, the reward redeemed, the points spent, and the running total of points.

Step 2: Implement the scheme

Print the tables and put them in a place that is visible and easily accessible.

Step 3: Weekly review

At the end of each week, review the table tracking weekly task completion and points. Reflect on the week and identify areas for improvement. If there are tasks that were not completed, consider why and how to address this in the following week. Update the incentive scheme as needed based on the review. Add bigger goals as necessary.

3. Additional Information:

Excel sheet "incentive_scheme_template.xlsx" provides an example of the forementioned tables. Feel free to modify the template to suit your needs.