Understanding Motivation

Nov 10, 2022 . 4 min read . 68 views

What is Motivation?

Motivation is all about getting started and consistently taking action, making sure we get back on track when we fall off the bandwagon.

Intrinsic

When interest in an activity comes within us.
Basically, it is to do an activity that we love/enjoy doing.
This type of activity is highly correlated with strong motivation as it brings pleasure.

Extrinsic

You are motivated to do the activity for external reasons such as money, fame, etc.
You do not care about the activity that much but more about the outcome as a consequence of performing the activity.

Competence
- Linked with Intrinsic Motivation
- How good we are at performing the activity? The better we are the better our motivation is.
Autonomy
- Linked with Intrinsic Motivation
- Do we enjoy a significant degree of autonomy while performing the tasks? Do we feel that we are the masters of our own destiny or that we are a small cog in a big wheel?
- Note: When managing a team giving autonomy to intrinsically motivated team members is good whereas extrinsically motivated people might crumble under autonomy.
Relatedness
- Linked with Extrinsic Motivation
- If a behaviour is valued by a manager, client, or friend we will feel a sense of connectedness with them.
- Basically, extrinsically motivated individuals try to replicate behaviours valued by people whose validation they seek while performing an activity.

Set goals that are not too easy or too hard
- Goldilock’s principle suggests that activities that are too hard and too easy both can cause a significant amount of stress.
- Activities that are too hard might suggest a lack of skill whereas activities that are too easy might suggest a lack of interest.
- The ideal place is the middle where you have a balance of skill and interest.

Start with Clarity
- Know why you want to pursue something.
- Understand if you are intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated.

Generate Momentum
- The man who moves mountains begins by carrying away small stones
- Find a way to generate some momentum daily towards your big goals. The momentum you generate helps you generate even more to keep propelling forward.

Channelise Inputs to Generate Outputs
- Shift from doing activities passively to actively. i.e utilise the inputs to generate meaningful outputs.
- Examples:
  - Watching a video on youtube is passive but making a video sharing notes and observations about the video you watched is not.
  - Similarly, listening to podcasts is passive while making notes and sharing on Twitter is not.
- Use the PARI Framework to generate momentum

Use the 3C method to diagnose motivation
- We are in a state of flow when we are doing something we enjoy doing, something that is important to us and something that we are good at.
- Now use the 3C method to diagnose motivation
  - Head: “Is this task really important to me and relevant to my goal?”
  - Heart: “Do I enjoy this task?”
  - Hand: “Am I good at this task?”
- Based on the outcome you can find a way to fix your motivation
Journal your journey
- Regular journaling is a great tool for self-reflection.
- Use the Plus Minus Next method to journal weekly.