BDS 13

Alright Boice, here I am having completed another AM BDS and this time I attempted your contingency contract method. Every morning, I watch one episode of a sitcom (Will & Grace, Seinfeld, etc.) to get a laugh for the start of the day. So, today, I told myself that my BDS would be contingent on this morning tv show. "Just write for 20 minutes and then you can watch your 20 minutes of comedy." Feeling that it was fair trade, amount of time put in to work = amount of time for leisure, I began my BDS.

At the 10 minute mark I took my usual comfort break - tongue check, roll my shoulders, stretch my neck, all that jazz. 

This thought also crossed my mind, "Only 10 more minutes and then tv time."

I'm not sure how this thought makes me feel. It felt like suddenly this BDS was some long chore. "Only 10 more minutes." That's what you say when you're counting down to get off a long, stressful day at work. Or when you're looking at the clock to get out of a dull lecture. It was unsettling. 

I finished strong and rewarded myself with my tv show.

Concluding thoughts: I don't think I need operant conditioning at this point to help me write. I think I'm intrinsically motivated enough that the extrinsic reinforcer isn't necessary. But I'm glad I tried out Boice's suggestion.