Comfort and Rewards

This week I've been splashing out a bit. I've been needing a new chair for my study for some time and decided that I couldn't put it off any longer. My back has been giving me hell for several weeks now and sitting on a creaky twelve year old office chair wasn't helping at all.

The new one is a lovely black leather number with massage functions and a nice high back which supports my head. I'm thrilled to bits with it. Of course it was horribly expensive, but worth it. I've justified the big spend by calling it a reward to myself for completing Terminus.

I've been reading how you should give yourself little treats to persuade the right-hand brain to co-operate. The theory goes something like this, you work for a set period of time, say twenty minutes. Then you treat yourself for an equal amount of time. For example, you might spend twenty minutes reading or watching television.

For bigger projects you might set longer term rewards, as I did with the chair. The idea is that writing becomes easier because your right-hand brain comes to expect a reward each time you complete a piece of work.

Does the theory work? The jury is still out on that one. I have been writing more than usual, but that may just be because I've made a concerted effort. Either way, I am enjoying a marvellous new chair and don't have to feel guilty for buying it!