A true win for Consistency last year was my blogging pact with Jennette. I ended up with 37 new posts in 2014, versus 28 in 2013 (both numbers exclude pimping-my-wares posts).
It was very effective having an accountability buddy and using Stickk to manage our commitment. It reminded me that whatever you do consistently shapes the tone of your life. If I want things to be different it’s not about dramatic sweeping changes. It’s repeated tiny actions and slightly smarter decisions, gathering momentum over time.
Likewise with the not-so-healthy consistent actions, like all those episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. If we are what we repeatedly do as Aristotle reckoned, I was a bum-shaped dent on the couch!
There were weeks when the thought of paying Jennette $5 for missing the blog deadline wasn’t sufficiently scary. I really like Jennette! Adding the occasional five bucks to her life never felt like a bad thing.
Turns out Jennette had been feeling the same in reverse, so she proposed upping the stakes for 2015. Stickk has an “anti charity” feature wherein if you fail to meet your commitment, your money goes to a nominated organisation to which you really do not wish to give money. I chose the UK Conservative Party. Now I have the above image of a grinning Treasurer George Osborne and Prime Minister David Cameron taped to my monitor to spur me into action. Win!
Hahaha, this is the best ever. I love the idea of having to pay out to an organization you really don’t want to support. Smart! May they never receive a pound/penny/nickle/dime from you! 😉
That is freaking awesome. I predict you won’t pay a single pound to those Conservative blue-eye’d dudes.
I think this change will help us keep the pact through 2015. I admit, I started to get a bit sloppy towards the end of the year. If anyone is interested in the anti-charity idea, there was an episode of the podcast RadioLab that interviewed a woman who used that idea to stop smoking. http://www.radiolab.org/story/117291-you-v-you/
PS – I really like you too! 🙂
OMG what a brilliant idea – this could transform my change program!
Flippin’ ‘eck, that’d have me terrified</em of accidentally ending up supporting The Dark Side. So much so that I'd install multiple safety mechanisms. Lorem ipsum posts. Guest bloggers. Anything to stay safe.
(Oh look, a typo equals formatting mistake that can’t be corrected afterwards. The perfectionist in me is terribly upset and insists on this extra comment just to make sure everyone knows I know I made a mistake. Hey ho.)
Oh I would have done the same thing! Hehehehe 🙂
Awesome! Go grrrlz! X
This is brilliant! I having been trying to keep some mojo going and this is absolutely the carrot/stick plan I need to stay focused! Thank you Shauna and Jennette!
Haha! Now that is a seriously scary photo- I look forward to lots of blog posts from you in 2015!
Fantastic idea, I absolutely love it. I would die if my hard earned money was going to the Republican Party here in the States. Awesomeness!
Wow, I’ve never seen that site before. I am very tempted…
Glad to hear that we can count on more posts from both of you! I want to know what Jennette’s anti-charity is now. I heard that same RadioLab.
haha – that is an excellent plan, I’m torn between Cameron and UKIP as to who would be my nemesis charity, I’m not sure I’m ready…
They don’t offer UKIP as an option yet… but crikey that would be motivating!!
“If I want things to be different it’s not about dramatic sweeping changes. It’s repeated tiny actions and slightly smarter decisions, gathering momentum over time”
Well, that’s just the wisest thing I’ve ever read!
this anticharity idea is terryifying. Go you! blog blogblog.
Great turn of phrase Shauna – “repeated tiny actions and slightly smarter decisions.” The anti- charity is a great idea, all stick no carrot!