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LM: #375: Reward yourself

July 06 2026 – 10:00am

While writing my latest book, I conducted an experiment on myself.

When I interviewed reader Lisa Van Gemert, she told me about her secret Amazon Wishlist. That she’ll reward herself with items for finishing certain tasks.

I decided to try it for myself. So to motivate myself to finish my manuscript, I promised myself a new Kindle.

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It was strangely difficult to set up this reward for myself. My current Kindle really was getting old and slow, and I had $120. Why not just buy the thing?

But I held off, in the name of science. A couple things happened.

As I struggled through using my slow Kindle with little battery life, I kept reminding myself, Finish the manuscript, and you get a new one.

Then, once I finished the manuscript and got the Kindle, I was even more excited about it than I would have been had I just bought it.

Lisa’s wishlist has really inexpensive items on it. As she told me, it helps her tell herself like, “‘You finish indexes. They suck, but you did it. And you have this cute eraser that consistently reminds you of that.’”

So while the reward is valuable, so is the physical presence of the item after you’ve accomplished the goal. Indeed, every time I use my Kindle, I’m reminded that I earned it.

Since reading on my Kindle is a big part of my business, it’s going to be a tough reward to top. But the experiment worked so well, I’m trying it again. I’ve already picked out the pair of pants I’ll earn when I’m done editing.

Have you ever set up a reward for yourself?

Aphorism: “If you’ve truly created an innovative work, it’s likely to alienate as many people as it attracts. The best art divides the audience.” —Rick Rubin

Book: Meditations for Mortals (Amazon) is Oliver Burkeman’s meditations on embracing finitude.