Hey all! I'm taking a lil' snowflake break this week, but I've got several lovely guest posts to tide you over until the New Year. Here's the fabulous Sarah of Desirous of Everything to start us off!
I was always a sticker appreciating kind of girl. I would covet the best ones to use on my favorite notebooks and folders and sometimes not even use an entire sheet because it was just too pretty to look at. I loved getting a sticker every time I went to the orthodontist, even though I was probably too old to be even accepting the offer. I forced myself to grow out of my love for stickers, because of their "babyish" stigma, but now as a confident and successful 29 year old woman, I can proudly say that I've let stickers back into my life, and it's one of the best things I've ever done!
Let me explain. Seven weeks ago, in the spirit of NaNoWrimo, I decided to start a little writing project for myself where I would write 500 words a day, every day, for eight weeks. And see what happened. To keep track of my goal, I created a real life 8 week calendar (these days the only calendars I use are the virtual Google ones) and made a special trip to the stationary store for stickers. I came home with a pack of dolphin stickers and a pack of doggie stickers.
The idea was innocent really, every day I would write down my word count and put a sticker on that day if I reached my goal of at least 500 words. But then something started to happen. As my calendar filled up, the idea of filling an entire 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of paper with stickers was thrilling! I could just sit there and look at that progress all day long! And the doggies and dolphins are just so cute!
I know, deep down, that stickers aren't the real reason I've managed to write almost 30,000 words these past weeks. The reason has to do with my own will power and perseverance. But knowing those stickers where there to reward me at the end of the day became truly comforting! And the thought of having a sad, empty, sticker-less space on my calender was just awful. A sticker helps me feel like I'm getting things done but also like I'm not taking myself too seriously, when I decide to choose a hot pink dolphin to mark a particular day.
When I finish my goal of at least 200 pages of a first draft of my novel (around 50,000 words) I have decided that I am going to take at least a month off and not look at what I have written or make myself do any creative writing if I'm not feeling it. However, I already have plans to use that month to get a steady exercise routine going for myself, and I can't wait to make up the calendar and go out and buy the stickers for the occasion! For me, stickers have really helped me create a habit.
Who knows what else I'll think of to use stickers for this year! Has anyone ever marked progress towards a goal in this way or similarly? And were you surprised by how much fun you had too?
Thanks for reading, Edison Rex readers! For more thoughts on writing, creativity and plain old daily life, stop by Desirous of Everything and say hello, I'd love to meet you!
Sarah, I admire your obsession with stickers! I collected them as a child and was always envious of my neighbor who seemed to have the best ones! It is sweet that such a simple thing is such a big motivator for you! I need to figure out a reward system for myself.
Posted by: Kristen | 12/30/2011 at 10:47 AM