XP TRACKERReward menu builder for adults
A reward menu is a short list of treats you buy with points from your habits: small ones for a good day, bigger ones for a good few weeks. Tick the ideas you like, add your own, set the costs, and print a menu that tells you how long each reward takes to earn.
Build your reward menu
How the points work
The menu runs on one simple rule: every habit you do is worth 1 point, and a day where you do all of them can earn a small bonus. Points per week are your habits a day times the days a week you expect to hit, plus the bonus on those days:
points per week = (habits a day + bonus) × days a week
With the defaults, 3 habits on 5 days plus a 1-point bonus gives 20 points a week. A small reward at 5 points arrives about every two days, a medium one at 20 points about once a week, and a big one at 60 points in about three weeks. The tool assumes you hit every habit on your active days. Real weeks are messier, so treat the days as a rough guide.
Keep score on the printout. The points log at the bottom has room for the date, what you earned, what you spent and your balance.
Tips for a menu that keeps working
- Pick rewards you want this month. A reward you don't care about is a number on paper. Swap anything that hasn't tempted you in two weeks.
- Mostly time and comfort, not shopping. Spending money on every reward gets expensive and can start to feel like a chore of its own. A lazy morning or an episode of a show costs nothing.
- Don't reward with the opposite habit. If you're cutting sugar, chocolate shouldn't be your main small reward. If you're sleeping earlier, skip the late gaming night.
- Reward the doing, not the result. Points for workouts done, not kilos lost. You control the first one.
- Let it fade. After a few months a habit often runs without the menu. That's the goal. Keep the menu for the new habits you're adding.
Limits
A reward menu helps you show up for habits you don't enjoy yet. It won't fix a habit that's too big for your day; shrink the habit first. Classic studies by Deci (1971) and Lepper, Greene and Nisbett (1973) also showed that paying people for something they already enjoyed could lower their interest later, so leave the hobbies you love off the points system. Read how to reward yourself for good habits for the longer version, or set up a full points system for your habits. If you'd rather pair the treat with the habit itself, try the temptation bundling builder.
Start today
Pick three rewards, one per size, print the menu and put it next to your habit tracker. Do today's habits, write the points in the log, and decide what you'll spend them on first.
Questions people ask
What is a reward menu?
A short list of rewards, sorted by size, each with a points cost. You earn points by doing your habits and spend them on something from the menu. It turns a vague 'treat yourself' into a clear trade you decide on in advance.
What are good rewards for adults that cost little or nothing?
Time and comfort: an episode of a show, a long bath, reading in bed, a slow coffee at a favourite spot, an afternoon with no plans, a walk somewhere you like, an hour of a game without guilt. Many of the best rewards are things you already enjoy but rarely give yourself permission to do.
How many points should a reward cost?
Small rewards should be reachable in a day or two, medium ones in about a week, big ones in about a month. The tool shows the number of days for each cost based on how many habits you plan to do. If a reward takes longer than a month, it tends to stop motivating.
Do rewards ruin intrinsic motivation?
They can, for things you already enjoy. Deci (1971) and Lepper, Greene and Nisbett (1973) found that expected rewards for an activity people liked could lower their interest in it later. For chores and habits you don't enjoy yet, a small reward helps you show up. Reward the effort, keep the rewards small, and let them fade once the habit runs on its own. More in do rewards kill motivation?
Should I use food as a reward?
A favourite coffee or a good dessert now and then is fine. Avoid rewards that work against the habit you're building, such as a takeaway after every workout if eating better is the goal, or a late night of gaming after a week of earlier bedtimes.
Related pages
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