Why I am Bribing Myself to Get my To-Do List Done {And Why You Should Too}

I’m Bribing Myself to Get my To-Do List Done {And Why You Should Too}

So, it’s February, friends. The balmy month of January is o’er. Here in the Midwest we have been inundated with massive amounts of snow. And icy winds. And sleet. And some negative temps thrown in just for good measure. As the snow falls, as my car continues to be frozen shut most days, and when my hands swell from the cold I feel akin to the squirrel that didn’t store up enough food for the winter.

Only, in my case, it isn’t my lack of acorns that is causing me trouble it is my lack of motivation.

Why I am Bribing Myself to Get my To-Do LIst Done, and Why You Should Too!
Warrior Man, and my youngest brother Mack going sledding.

When it’s blustery outside the last thing I want to do is attack my to-do list with gazelle-like intensity. Honestly, I feel more like a slow-moving gecko these days rather then a fleet-footed gazelle. A hibernating, crabby, arthritic gecko, at that. So when I had two nasty, icky phone calls to make this weekend, I knew I was in trouble. It wasn’t like they were dentist appointments, but they were two phone calls I had put off. Pushed to the back. I simply transferred these phone calls from one to-do list to the next. And here’s the thing, friends, if you continually rewrite tasks from one to-do list to the next they never get done. Shocking, I know. I just didn’t want to do them. And no inspiring blog post, thoughtful quote, or call to action was going to get me to do them. I knew putting them off over and over again would, just like overdue library books {which I also have, whoops!}, cause more trouble every day I shoved them lower in my priorities. So how did I finally make my stubborn, tenaciously-procrastinating self accomplish them?

I Bribe Myself to Get my To-Do List Done {And Why You Should Too} dandelionpie.com

I am not at all ashamed reveal to you I resorted to bribery. Because it is time’s like these that a girl needs a little extra something to get herself moving. I mean, even geckos will achieve forward motion for a tasty cricket.

Over Christmas break, my Mom and sister got me hooked on iced coffee. I know. I know. Coffee isn’t generally my thing, but as my sister Amalia says: “I love coffee, it just makes me so happy!”. So there you have it. And I bribed my own self with a cup of large iced coffee {Amalia and Mom I blame you}.

And it worked. The odious phone calls were made. The intoxicating caffeine was consumed. And the snow, well it is still falling.

Give yourself a treat today, friends. When the weather outside is abysmal sometimes we all need a little extra love. Even if that love takes the form of crickets…or a tall, cold cup of iced coffee.

Stay warm!

14 thoughts on “I’m Bribing Myself to Get my To-Do List Done {And Why You Should Too}”

  1. Pingback: The Puzzle of Publishing — What’s saving my life right now | Second Breakfast

  2. Good for you. I’ll have to give this a try next time I keep putting off a task. But oh no not my coffee. I would want my coffee to comfort me while engaging in the task. 😀 So maybe I’ll bribe myself with a piece of chocolate!

  3. That is my bribery to get up and get things done as well. Though being pregnant, coffee has not been as palatable, so I have had a harder time bribing myself. Maybe I should try ice cream…

  4. Bethany,

    You have some wonderful imagery in this post! I am also not above bribing myself, or my children (teenagers), or my husband for that matter, to get something done! C’mon. There’s a reason we put those things off. They are awful things. We deserve to be rewarded for sucking it up and dealing with it!

    1. Thank you, Carrie Ann! When I wrote the first draft for this post I compared myself to three different types of animals. I decided to cut it down to just the gecko. Ha! We do deserve to be rewarded, I like your style!

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