Consider the sticker chart
Goodness knows, I love using depth to help clients overcome challenges + move towards yearnings. (See: callings, protein-rich goo)
And yet, sometimes un-deep things get the job done best.
Today, an un-deep suggestion:
Make a sticker chart.
…
A lil’ personal story:
Some time ago, I decided to teach one of my kids how to read. Since I had zero experience in reading pedagogy, I used the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (highly recommend!); the authors suggested using a 100-square “Progress Chart” to celebrate each lesson completed.
Here’s the chart they shared.
My son put a simple colored sticker on the chart each time we finished a lesson. He liked standing on my filing cabinet, taking the sticker off the paper, and carefully affixing it to the chart.
(I also gave him — and myself — a single M&M).
Sometimes we did a bunch of lessons in a month…and sometimes we’d forget about it for months at a time.
But whenever we returned, there the sticker chart was — celebrating the progress he’d made! Available for more celebrations through additional stickers!
He liked to count them all, and seemed genuinely proud of how many he’d done. (82 as of this writing, and that kid can read.)
Woohoo!
…
Back in January, I was trying to solidify the habit of strength training.
I felt cranky + avoidant. I believed I wasn’t a muscles-hurting, dripping-sweat kind of person. (Gentle yoga + long walks only, please.)
But also, I kept injuring my lower back as I tried to lift my other son, who has some mental disabilities + loved/needed to be picked up at times for safety or my sanity.
Plus, I am an aging millennial woman; bone density + muscle mass are on my mind.
I thought: what if I used a sticker chart?
Team, I used the same sticker chart.
I set a goal of strength training 2x/week, but the joy of the sticker chart was that even if I fell off the wagon, or lost steam while on Spring Break with my kids…I didn’t lose progress.
I still had all those freaking stickers from the past. And when I started again…more stickers!
(For what it’s worth: I think this is one of the great strengths of the sticker chart. It tracks cumulative progress, you cannot go backwards — so it forces us to focus on the positive.)
…
I’m only about 54 stickers into my sticker chart, but my relationship with strength training feels quite different.
I made it a habit. And over time, I started to notice some changes. Slowly at first, and then quite prominently:
My lower back hasn’t hurt in months.
I am much stronger.
I have noticed that I feel…kind of amazing after my strength training workouts. (Which kind of makes me…look forward to them a bit? *What?*)
I even started to kinda…like the muscles-hurting, sweat-dripping feeling? (*What??*)
AND…my husband said he noticed my biceps recently?!(I am a person with mildly noticeable biceps? *WHAT?*)
I’m not worried about whether I finish the 100-square chart or not. I think I will, but also, the point of the sticker chart isn’t finishing; it’s reminding me of how much I’ve done, and encouraging me to keep going.
…
I’ve been recommending sticker charts to clients for the past several months — for folks writing novels, trying to make evening routines a habit, and more. It’s simple, it’s not super deep (or is it?)...and it works.
So I’ll suggest it to you, too:
Is there something you’ve been trying to get yourself to do?
Might you consider the sticker chart?
…
As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.
Katie
p.s. Pic or it didn’t happen:
Please note that I crossed out reading-related text and wrote in “Strength Training Workouts” — fancy coaching tools only, over here.
If this essay resonated with you, you'll love my newsletter. Sign up for free + get new ideas every Sunday!
