Merit Badge Effect

"The other benefit of the logbook is the Merit Badge Effect. People seem to have a chipmunk-like hoarding instinct, whereby once they start collecting something, whether it be Scout merit badges, bottle caps, or hours worked on a thesis, they want more and more. The secret is to turn your hours into a collection. It sounds silly, but it may work for you. After you've been collecting hours for a few days, you'll start thinking, 'I earned ten hours yesterday. Wonder if i can get eleven today?'" - Getting What You Came For, RL Peters.