The standard advice is to reward yourself for completing tasks. Finish the report, get a treat. Hit the goal, buy something nice.

For distractible brains, this often doesn't work well. Here's why, and what to do instead.

The problem with delayed rewards:

Distractible brains often have a steeper "delay discounting" curve. Future rewards feel less motivating than they do for other people. A reward next week barely registers compared to distraction available right now.

So "I'll treat myself after I finish this project" provides almost no motivational fuel in the moment when you're struggling to focus.

The problem with reward timing:

By the time you've finished a difficult task, you might feel depleted rather than triumphant. The reward arrives when you're least able to enjoy it. And the association between effort and reward is weakened by the time gap.

What works better:

Immediate micro-rewards. Instead of one big reward at the end, build in small rewards throughout. Five minutes of focused work, then a one-minute break. A completed section, then a quick stretch. Keep the reward close to the effort.

Process rewards over outcome rewards. Reward yourself for engaging in the process, not just completing the outcome. "I sat down and worked on this for 20 minutes" is worth celebrating even if you didn't finish.

Reduce friction to starting. Often the hardest part is beginning. Make starting feel rewarding by making it easy. Put materials out the night before. Open the document before you do anything else. Make the very first step trivially small.

Leverage interest and novelty. Find ways to make the task itself more interesting. A new location. Different music. A slightly different approach. Novelty is intrinsically rewarding for distractible brains.

Social rewards. Working alongside others, sharing progress, getting acknowledgment—these can be more motivating than solo rewards. Use body doubling, accountability partners, or just telling someone what you accomplished.

The goal is to get reward signals closer to the moments of effort, since that's when your brain needs the motivation most.