![]() Finally, try to offset drudgery with activities that you find rewarding-for instance, listen to music while tackling that big backlog of email in your in-box, or do boring chores with friends, family, or your favorite colleagues. ![]() Think expansively about how accomplishing the task might be satisfying-by, for example, giving you a chance to showcase your skills in front of your company’s leaders, build important internal relationships, or create value for customers. In cases where that’s impractical-we don’t all find jobs and get assignments we love-the trick is to focus on the elements of the work that you do find enjoyable. So simply remembering to consider intrinsic motivation when choosing jobs and taking on projects can go a long way toward helping sustain success. But they don’t remember that office morale was key to success in past jobs, nor do they predict it will be important for them in the future. For example, my research shows that when asked whether positive relationships with colleagues and managers are critical in their current position, most people say yes. Unfortunately, people often fail to do this. In an ideal world we would all seek out work roles and environments that we enjoy and thus keep our engagement high. The trick is to focus on the elements of the work that you do find enjoyable. My research shows that intrinsic motives predict achievement and success better than extrinsic ones do. An activity is intrinsically motivated when it’s seen as its own end it’s extrinsically motivated when it’s seen as serving a separate, ulterior purpose-earning you a reward or allowing you to avoid punishment. Goals should also, whenever possible, trigger intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, motivation. As a first general rule, then, any objectives you set for yourself or agree to should be specific. Abstract ambitions-such as “doing your best”-are usually much less effective than something concrete, such as bringing in 10 new customers a month or walking 10,000 steps a day. Studies have shown, for example, that when salespeople have targets, they close more deals, and that when individuals make daily exercise commitments, they’re more likely to increase their fitness levels. Design Goals, Not ChoresĪmple research has documented the importance of goal setting. These four sets of tactics can help propel you forward. If you’ve ever failed to reach an attainable goal because of procrastination or lack of commitment-and who of us hasn’t?-I encourage you to read on. However, after 20 years of research into human motivation, my team and I have identified several strategies that seem to work for most people-whether they’re trying to lose weight, save for retirement, or implement a long, difficult initiative at work. ![]() And some individuals do seem to have more stick-to-itiveness than others. What gets you going might not do anything for me. To a certain extent, motivation is personal. So how can you keep pushing onward, even when you don’t feel like it? We seem to have a natural aversion to persistent effort that no amount of caffeine or inspirational posters can fix.īut effective self-motivation is one of the main things that distinguishes high-achieving professionals from everyone else. In fact, I often compare it to one of the exploits of the fictional German hero Baron Munchausen: Trying to sustain your drive through a task, a project, or even a career can sometimes feel like pulling yourself out of a swamp by your own hair.
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