If the carrot doesn’t work, it’s time for the stick. Instead of rewarding yourself for meeting your goals, pay an “anti-charity” money when you cheat on your resolutions.
Picture: peddhapati/Flickr
An anti-charity, according to Forbes, is any cause or issue that you are vehemently against. Once you find that, force yourself to donate to that cause whenever you fall short of your goals. Find a friend to hold you accountable or use a web site like Stickk.
The idea draws its roots in a study that suggests people are more loss-averse than reward-oriented towards goals; i.e. when it comes to motivation for resolutions, people would rather not lose something than gain something. For the anti-charity system to work, the issue can’t be something you are mildly offended by, it needs to be a hot-button topic that sets you off. Everyone has them, it’s just a matter of finding yours.
Of course, if this seems too extreme for you, there are other ways to stick to your resolutions.
Already Cheating On Your Resolutions? Try An Anti-Charity System [Forbes]
Comments
3 responses to “Stick To Your Goals With An Anti-Charity System”
That seems… insane. Maybe just donate large amounts to charities you do like, or just punch yourself in the face. Better than donating to the KKK
But that’s precisely the point. Subconsciously, you will try that much harder to stick to your goals given how much you oppose paying your self-imposed penalty.
Sure, but if the cause is one that you believe works to the detriment of others, ostensibly you are causing other people to suffer if you actually go through with this so-called ‘self-punishment’.
I agree with Spruppet that this idea is kind of silly. In the vacuum of theory, sure, I can see how it works as a motivator. In the cold hard light of practical application, it has problems.