Anne Lamott says that she often resorts to bribery to get through her day. In a recent radio interview, she confided that she often bargains with herself. If she just writes one more passage, then she can reward herself with watching a half an hour of MSNBC.
Sometimes it just comes down to the grind. You know it will be good for you to get something done. But nudging yourself in that direction might take some serious bribery.
It’s not pretty. We are not talking about the high-minded search for inspiration, rather we are focusing upon those times when you know what needs to get done and you just have to force your mind and body to cooperate and produce the darned thing. In such cases, a little bit of chocolate might be in order.
I have also found that figuring out a way to reward yourself for a good week’s worth of work might make a whole lot of sense. I like to look a little further out than those small slices of the day in which I just need to get something done. Even rewarding oneself for a good day seems a bit slim. But a week full of sustained productivity – now that is worth a decent bribe.
I try to strike the right balance between substance and frivolity with this bribe. I purposefully do not pick something intangible, such as calling up a friend at the end of the week. I like something that is concrete, that can rest in the palm of my hand. Besides, catching up with friends is a necessary part of good mental health – that habit shouldn’t be held hostage by a less-than-stellar performance over the course of a week.
I buy a marble. It is fun to browse through the selection offered on ebay. There are aggies and cat’s eyes and oxbloods. The foray takes me back to childhood. If I have had a particularly good week, I might spring for an onionskin. This little purchase – ten dollars at most – provides a sense of accomplishment at a minimum cost.
Just pick anything inconsequential that you can begin to collect. There’s something joyous and powerful in seeing this collection grow over time. I have a marble jar that sits on my desk, and the mounting marbles inside remind me that my ongoing creative pursuit has its own milestones, perhaps unseen by others, but still incredibly meaningful.
