Creative Solutions for Commitment

Healthy

100

Rate your mood before and after completing a task.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It helps you avoid difficult feelings.
• B. It helps you notice that taking action often improves your mood. 
• C. It guarantees you'll enjoy every task.
• D. It helps you finish faster.

It helps you notice that taking action often improves your mood. ✅

200

Create an image of yourself as a warrior, strong as steel, or crossing the finish line.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes the work disappear.
• B. It increases motivation by helping you picture success. 
• C. It replaces planning.
• D. It keeps other people motivated.

• B. It increases motivation by helping you picture success. ✅

300

Find meaning by reminding yourself why the goal matters.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes goals easier.
• B. It shortens the task.
• C. It connects the task to your personal values and motivation. 
• D. It helps you avoid responsibility. 

C. It connects the task to your personal values and motivation. ✅

400

Turn on your favorite music while you work.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It removes all distractions.
• B. It makes the task more enjoyable, increasing motivation. 
• C. It guarantees perfect work.
• D. It eliminates stress completely.

B. It makes the task more enjoyable, increasing motivation. ✅

Direct

100

Use the "Do something, anything" rule.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It helps you wait until you're ready.
• B. It helps you overcome procrastination by taking the first step. 
• C. It lets you skip difficult work.
• D. It helps you multitask.

B. It helps you overcome procrastination by taking the first step. ✅

200

Get someone to help you.

How does this help commitment?

• A. They complete the work for you.
• B. Support and accountability make it easier to follow through. 
• C. It reduces the amount of work.
• D. It eliminates mistakes. 

B. Support and accountability make it easier to follow through. ✅

300

Tell everyone you're going to accomplish your goal.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It guarantees success.
• B. It makes the goal easier.
• C. Public accountability encourages follow-through. 
• D. It shortens deadlines.

C. Public accountability encourages follow-through. ✅

400

Leave a progress update for your therapist or support person.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It postpones difficult tasks.
• B. Regular check-ins reinforce progress and accountability. 
• C. It eliminates challenges.
• D. It allows someone else to set your goals.

B. Regular check-ins reinforce progress and accountability. ✅

Realistic

100

Schedule a time during the day to work on your goal.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes the goal smaller.
• B. Planning a specific time makes follow-through more likely. 
• C. It guarantees extra free time.
• D. It removes distractions.

B. Planning a specific time makes follow-through more likely. ✅

200

Plan a reward after finishing.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It eliminates difficult work.
• B. Positive reinforcement increases motivation. 
• C. It guarantees success.
• D. It shortens the task.

B. Positive reinforcement increases motivation. ✅

300

Organize your tasks in a binder.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes the work disappear.
• B. It impresses other people.
• C. Organization reduces feeling overwhelmed and makes tasks easier to manage. 
• D. It guarantees perfection.

C. Organization reduces feeling overwhelmed and makes tasks easier to manage. ✅

400

Give a friend $5 to keep if you don't meet your goal.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It rewards procrastination.
• B. It makes the task easier.
• C. Having something to lose creates accountability and motivation. 
• D. It eliminates mistakes.

C. Having something to lose creates accountability and motivation. ✅

Specific

100

Write your commitment on notes and post them around your house.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It helps you avoid thinking about your goal.
• B. Frequent reminders keep your goal visible and harder to forget. 
• C. It guarantees completion.
• D. It reduces the amount of work.

B. Frequent reminders keep your goal visible and harder to forget. ✅

200

Don't brush your teeth until you've started working on your commitment.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes the task shorter.
• B. It links an everyday habit to starting the task, making it harder to delay. 
• C. It improves concentration.
• D. It eliminates distractions. 

B. It links an everyday habit to starting the task, making it harder to delay. ✅

300

Put your tasks in a hat and randomly pick one.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It helps you avoid difficult tasks.
• B. It reduces overthinking and makes getting started more fun. 
• C. It guarantees you'll choose the easiest task.
• D. It shortens the project.

B. It reduces overthinking and makes getting started more fun. ✅

400

Use a special colored pen to check completed tasks off your list.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It improves handwriting.
• B. It makes tasks easier.
• C. Seeing visible progress provides satisfaction and encourages continued effort. 
• D. It guarantees perfect performance. 

C. Seeing visible progress provides satisfaction and encourages continued effort. ✅

Adaptive

100

Ask other people how they get things done.

How does this help commitment?

• A. You learn new strategies that may work for you. 
• B. It lets others do the work.
• C. It replaces planning.
• D. It guarantees motivation.

A. You learn new strategies that may work for you. ✅

200

Find a different place to work if your usual location is distracting.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It makes work shorter.
• B. A better environment helps you focus. 
• C. It eliminates responsibility.
• D. It removes all stress. 

B. A better environment helps you focus. ✅

300

Break large tasks into small preparation steps if perfectionism is getting in the way.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It helps you avoid the task.
• B. Smaller steps make it easier to begin and build momentum. 
• C. It lowers your standards.
• D. It guarantees perfect results.

B. Smaller steps make it easier to begin and build momentum. ✅

400

Create a "survival book" with inspiring quotes, pictures, or poems.

How does this help commitment?

• A. It finishes the work automatically.
• B. It replaces goal setting.
• C. It provides encouragement when motivation is low. 
• D. It keeps you busy instead of working.

C. It provides encouragement when motivation is low. ✅