Gamifying Chores, and the issue of rewards.
I’ve had to do a lot of ‘chores’ this week. Not really like difficult things, but phone calls, dinners to book, making food for family, excercise, dog training, car MOT prep. I get overwhlemed by this sort of thing very quickly, and tend to loose track of what needs done. All that to say, I was really proud of myself tonight for getting through the big todo list I had made on Friday. I was standing in the shower thinnking about what I should have as a treat to reward myself for getting everyhting done, and then it occurred to me. I couldn’t have anything. What the use of excerising and dieting if I reward myself with snacks? Whats the point of trying to work my way through my hobby backlog if I reward myself with buying more stuff? Treats tend to be indulgences and the truth is, I’m trying to cut down on a lot of that.
Then I realised the issue, I was still treating chores like I did when I was a child. You do a chore, you get a reward. It’s something that’s pushed by some productivity apps I’d tried as well, do X tasks, get a reward. It’s like I was doing these things for other people, and therefore was owed something. But that’s not how it works. I excercise because I want to feel better, I washed my hair this evening because I didn’t want to get up extra early tomorrow to get it washed before going to the mechanics. I’m the one benefitting from the ‘chores’ and such I don’t get a reward. It’s kind of sad but that’s the way things work I guess.