$100 motivation strategy to write dozens of content pieces.

Since 2016, I have written thousands of emails. And yet...

Not every day I had the motivation & mood to write them. Especially at the beginning. Here's a story of how a 100-euro game motivated me to write hundreds of new pieces of content:

The story takes us to the time when I was a young digital nomad. Living temporarily in Croatia and working in a local Co-Working space on my online business. I was already making an average paycheck and living a good life. But I wanted more...

I wanted to have a bigger business. More money and more freedom. To have this:

• I needed to write more emails.

• To create new content every week.

• To think about new products.

• And being more focused.

But life was already good... I was dancing Salsa and bachata with my local friends, going to a gym, and having a good time.

I had an email list of 25K people during this time. I had products to sell. Facebook campaigns were running and bringing new people. The things objectively were not bad at all.

But it wasn't exactly what I was dreaming about after taxation and business costs... And I could stay in this loop forever. Making good money. Dancing Salsa & Bachata. Having a good time. But what about my BIG goals?

Despite that, everything was okay. I felt stuck. I didn't have more energy for my project than I already had. In fact, I felt that I needed a vacation!

But I needed to move forward. I needed to create new momentum in my business to spark things again.

One day...

I came in the morning, as usual, to a co-working space. And instead of again trying to convince myself to write another email. I went to the desk of my friend Iva and gave her 100 euros...

Iva: "Is it a gift? You know that I have a boyfriend, right?" (Luka, who was sitting 2 meters from her.)

Me: "Maybe... Look, I need a favor from you. If I'm not writing an email today of 300 words and sending it to my community, this 100 euros is yours."

Iva: "Haha, you and your ideas... Okay. Show me the email before I go home. Or maybe I'm going shopping." (And she waved to me with my 100 euros).

Suddenly… I smiled. I got excited. My mood was up. My thought was sharp. I felt like a little kid again. 

This day, I was more focused than all the weeks before combined.

And the email? I wrote it faster and better. As I didn't waste time on excuses and distractions.

I did this "trick" several times in my career when I needed to get out of a routine that didn't bring me the results I wanted. What I did was actually coaching myself. I used the "Commitment and Consistency" method.

I committed to writing an email, and there was a consequence for not doing it... Losing my 100 euros. 

This method works on the principle that once a commitment is made, people will naturally want to be consistent, especially when a consequence or cost is attached.

Another thing that I used on myself is the "Reward and Punishment" method.

I created a situation where I would lose money if I did not write an email to my community. In my case, it was 100 euros. The important thing here is that the amount is supposed to be painful for you.

If I would give Iva 100 euros for each email, I didn't write. It would be painful. It's a powerful motivational tool because it simultaneously uses positive (keeping the money) and negative (losing the money) incentives.

I also used a "Social Accountability" trick.

I committed in front of Iva. In my case, Iva would still be my friend. Maybe even more if she would go shopping with my money :). But if I would not commit to my tasks several times. She could change her opinion about me.

And the most powerful tool that sparks everything is the "Gamification effect."

I turn a challenging task into something exciting and playful. This trick boosted my motivation and brought new energy to my business.

You can implement this method with any challenging task you are dealing with:

• Writing tweets every day

• Sales calls and follow-ups

• Morning training

• Eating veggies

• Cold showers

Rules:

• Choose a good friend

• Make an agreement with him

• Describe what you are going to do, when & how

• Give him upfront the money that gonna be painful for you to lose

That it. But...

Don't try to trick the system! Keep it simple and stick to the rules. When it's uncomfortable, we all can be sneaky a little bit. Don't keep the money and give it only if you fail. You will find an excuse not to give it.

Don't agree on the amount of money you don't care to lose. Don't agree with "loopholes" that will make you trick the system. Be specific about the task in a way that it's possible to measure it.

In my case, it was the number of words in the email and sending it on the same day.

This coaching method can help you boost your productivity and push tasks you postpone for months. Use it to become the best version of yourself.

Take care,

Alex