Do you have a ready bell?
Have you ever used a Ready Bell?
You might be asking, “What is a Ready Bell?”
I came up with the idea of a Ready Bell one morning after I told my boys (Ages 7 and 4) the same thing I tell them every morning. “Please eat breakfast, get dressed and brush your teeth.” They only have three things to do in the morning to get ready. They know what those things are. They do not need me to tell them what to do. And yet every morning I had to tell them to do these things.
So I bought a Ready Bell. Our Ready Bell is nothing more than a yellow $8 bell from Amazon, but ultimately it is a way to celebrate.
I told my boys that when they have completed all of the things they need to do in the morning, they get to ring the Ready Bell.Once they ring the bell they can play the rest of the time left before we leave. The Ready Bell Accomplishes six things:
- It moves the responsibility of getting ready on my children and not me.
- It provides a reward (ringing a bell) when they have done their tasks.
- It motivates the other child to get ready when their sibling rings the bell.
- It helps my children prioritize (tasks first, then play).
- It adds fun! (Little boys love making noise.)
- It provides an opportunity to celebrate.
When my boys ring the bell, I acknowledge that they did a good job getting ready by themselves and they get to celebrate by spending their remaining time playing. They often race me to see if they can ring the bell before me, which they usually do.
While we still have to sometimes remind them to finish their tasks in the morning, many times we just need to remind them that they get to play when they ring the ready bell.
What does this have to do with business?
My question to you is, “What is your Ready Bell?”
Is there a task that you have a hard time completing? Perhaps adding a celebration at the end of the task might make it a little easier or at least make it more fun.
Last Sunday on our way out the door for church, my family was ready and loading up in the car. I was in the house by myself gathering my items on my way out the door. I could not resist ringing the bell. Why did I do this?! I think God designed us to celebrate and enjoy life. And sometimes we just need to have fun!
What do you think of the Ready Bell ideas below? Which one do you want to try next time you complete a task or reach a goal?
What ideas could I add to the list? Share your Ready Bell ideas in the comments.
- Take a 15-minute walk outside.
- Text or call a friend and celebrate together.
- Take off work 30-minutes early.
- Or my favorite: Put on a special pair of earrings, necklace or ring as a tangible reminder of your accomplishment!
If you happen to be like me and you prefer Ready Bells that sparkle and are of the diamond variety, shop my Esaltare Designs jewelry collection for business women below.
Esaltare (ĭ-zhul-tär-āy) means “to, extol, exalt or celebrate” in Italian, but it can be translated as “uplift” in English. Keep uplifting.
#motivation #businesssuccess #parentinghack #businessjewelry #readybell