08/16/2015 13,694 2 Reading time: 12 min. Rating:
Author
: Konstantin Bely
Today I want to look at such an important factor in achieving success as self-motivation . First, a few words about what self-motivation is and what it is needed for, and then I will describe in a little more detail some methods of self-motivation that can be used to increase personal effectiveness, achieve better results in work or other activities. I think that this information will be interesting and, most importantly, useful.
When a person goes to a traditional job, his employer can use material and non-material methods of motivating staff in relation to him, but more often it will not be motivation at all, but stimulation. But when a person chooses to work for himself or other ways to earn money on his own, as a rule, no one motivates him, or even stimulates him. In this case, and also when the employer’s motivation methods do not motivate at all, but on the contrary, only self-motivation can help to work effectively and achieve some results. What it is - more on that later.
Types of motivators
There are two main types of motivators: intrinsic and extrinsic.
- Intrinsic motivation
is desires that do not depend on external rewards. We simply enjoy the activity or see it as an opportunity to explore, learn, realize our potential, etc. - Extrinsic motivation
is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise. This type of motivator can be especially helpful when a person needs to complete a task that they find unpleasant.
Different people are motivated by different things, moreover, depending on the situation, goals and other factors, the motivators of a particular person also change
.
The same task may have more intrinsic motivators at some moments and more extrinsic motivators at others, and these motivators themselves are also variable. Internal ones play a big role in both self-motivation
and
resilience, in the feeling of happiness
.
If we like what we do, we work better. It's easier to get out of bed in the morning and we feel happier. Research shows this is especially important when we're stressed
. It is easier for us to cope with stress if the work as a whole is enjoyable.
However, external ones can also be quite effective.
.
For example, sometimes the role of motivators is taken on by commitment
. Commitment comes from personal ethics and a sense of duty: what is right and what is wrong. You may feel obligated to go to a party because someone you know invited you. There will be no obvious external or internal benefit to going there, but you may worry that you will offend or upset your friend if you don't go. However, you will be more likely to enjoy the party if you have a positive and open attitude and expect it to be fun. This adds to the external motivator “obligation to a friend” the internal one – “fun and pleasure”.
Accordingly, if you need to increase your motivation for a specific task, think about what would motivate you to complete it faster and more efficiently? Are there intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivators?
If at first glance it seems not,
try to find them or invent them
. The information below will help you with this.
Choose a reward that is consistent with your goal
If your goal is to lose weight, don't celebrate the few pounds you've lost with high-calorie ice cream. And if you strive to become a millionaire, then do not reward yourself for earning 100 thousand with a big waste.
A heavy dinner can negate the benefits of a successful workout, and buying an expensive smartphone can significantly reduce the amount of money you save.
But it's not only that. By rewarding yourself with things that are contrary to your goal, you are creating a bad habit. As soon as you get tired of working hard, the desire to eat deliciously or buy something will take over. This kind of motivation simply doesn't work in the long term.
Factors influencing motivation
It is impossible to improve motivation overnight. There are many theories and tips designed to help people get started and see things through to completion. The ability to motivate yourself can be compared to a skill - we are able to develop it, and the more we work on ourselves in this direction, the better we get at it
. And here it is important to consider the psychological factors influencing motivation.
Stimulus
If you already enjoy doing something, then it would seem that rewarding it for that behavior would make you love it even more, right? Not really. Researchers have found that encouraging people to do what they are initially motivated to do can backfire
. Remember, internal motivation arises within the person himself. Completing a task is its own reward, and additional encouragement can only ruin everything.
When children are rewarded for doing something they already enjoy, such as playing with a particular toy, their future motivation to engage in that activity is actually reduced. Psychologists call this phenomenon the overjustification effect. So be careful with rewards
. Incentives work well to increase self-motivation in otherwise unattractive activities. But over-reliance on such rewards can be harmful.
Call
When you are faced with a new task or goal, what motivates you more: do something easy that you have done hundreds of times, or do something that requires you to learn something new, expand your existing abilities? For many, the first option will seem familiar and easy to implement, but the second will probably be more interesting
.
If you're trying to improve your ability to motivate yourself to do something (like getting up early for a run or breaking a bad habit), challenging yourself can be an effective way to keep that motivational spark alive. How can you make the most of this incentive? Challenge yourself
.
Sign up for your local marathon. Focus on doing something a little better or a little more than usual, going a little further, etc. Make a bet with yourself
- can you study a foreign language every day for a week? Are you able to last 5 days without sweets?
You can test not only yourself - challenge a friend and arrange a mini-competition
.
This technique can also be very effective, since passion and the desire to beat will be a good way to increase your own motivation. It is important here not to cheat and to place high-quality execution of the task higher than the actual victory
. For example, you are competing to see who can last longer without fast food. Of course, you can eat a hamburger and fries in the dark of night and say that nothing happened, but what's the point?
No matter what your goal is, adding extra challenges and competing with yourself or friends will help improve your skills and bring you closer to success.
Visualization
One of the most popular tips for increasing motivation is to visualize success. However, research shows that this approach may also be counterproductive.
.
The problem is that people often visualize how they will achieve their goals, but do not visualize the effort required to achieve it. This approach does not help increase motivation. First, by imagining that you have achieved a desired goal, you are actually depleting the energy
that you have to devote to completing the task itself.
Secondly, for some, such visualization emphasizes that the goal is still very far away
and it is not a fact that it will be achieved at all. Of course, this is demotivating.
So instead of imagining yourself suddenly successful, imagine all the steps it takes to achieve success
.
Think about what you are missing? What problems stand in your way? What strategies can you use to solve them? Visualize yourself overcoming all obstacles and then becoming successful
.
Having an idea of what you might be up against will help you cope when the time comes. And planning ahead will allow you to prepare to overcome difficulties.
Fixation on the process, not the result
Constantly focusing on the outcome - success or failure - can seriously undermine your motivation.
.
In a study of different worldviews, psychologist Carol Dweck found that praising children for fixed traits (such as attractiveness) can reduce motivation and persistence in the future. Such praise, she believes, causes people to develop what is called a fixed mindset. People with this mindset believe that personal qualities are simply innate and unchangeable. For example, that people are either smart or stupid; beautiful or ugly, athletic or not athletic, and so on. This attitude assumes that nothing can be changed and that you don’t even have to try
. This type of thinking is called fixed. It also works in motivation - if we think only about the result, we also “get hung up” on a certain given thing.
How to avoid a fixed mindset? Reward effort, not quality
.
Instead of just focusing on the outcome, try to focus on the path to achieving your goals
. What did you learn from this process? What actions were most effective and useful? By evaluating your efforts, you can adjust future actions to achieve better results.
Control
People are more motivated if they feel like they are in control of every step of the workflow.
.
One of the reasons some people don't like group work is that they lose their individual sense of control and contribution. If you are affected by this issue, consider what you can do to take back control in group situations?
For example, define and focus on the boundaries of your work: what do you control? What are your points of contact with the work of others? What is your contribution? What's up to you? If you are leading a work group, make everyone feel strong and influential. Give people control over how they contribute to the overall effort or use of their ideas. For example, record it on a task board, etc. Let participants define what goals they want to pursue.
Optimism and resilience
Optimism is the ability to look on the bright side or think positively. Resilience – the ability to “bounce back” from setbacks and maintain a positive attitude in the face of challenges
. These traits are closely related, although not exactly the same. Resilient people use reasoning as a way to manage negative emotional reactions to events. They are also willing to ask for help if needed, as well as offer their help to others in need.
Here you can take a vitality test. And, for example, useful techniques of positive psychology and NLP presuppositions will help to increase it. Despite the contradictory nature of these areas, you can glean really useful ideas from them. Read more in our articles.
Remember: recognizing the reward is just as important as receiving it
Clinical psychologist Gillian Needleman encourages How to reward yourself and practice self-kindness to recognize your victories—even the small ones—while receiving rewards. In those moments, tell yourself what work you did, what skills you used to do it, and how it brought you closer to your big goal. This is a good exercise for raising self-esteem.
Sometimes we need a voice that will say that we are great and we have the strength to cope with new challenges. And we can provide such support to ourselves.
Useful tips to increase motivation
Also take advantage of practical tips on how to increase your motivation:
- Shorten your to-do list
. If you focus on a small number of things, it will be easier to get them done. A large number of tasks makes us panic, and we feel like we won’t be able to complete them. Is it even worth filling it then? Learn to sensibly assess your strengths and set realistic goals, then achieving them will not be so scary. - Combine small tasks
. Think about two things you want to do and see how you can combine them into one activity. Author Marilyn Vos Savant, in her book Brain Development in Just 12 Weeks, recommends making a list of all the small tasks you need to complete, say, during the day or weekend, and then doing them all one after the other. This way you combine many small tasks into one and complete them all together. Instead of tackling one task one day and another the next, you create a blitz that allows you to get a lot of little things done together. This frees up your time and gives you a sense of accomplishment. - On the contrary, break up large-scale undertakings
.
The classic advice is to divide large tasks into tasks that can be completed in a specific period of time with a specific result. For example, if you are learning a foreign language, creating a 500-page report, or creating a new website from scratch. It is important to break down the entire amount of work into clear tasks
: master Plusquamperfekt, repeat the topic “Vegetables and Fruits”, read 2 texts from the textbook, etc. In this case, the tasks will be truly achievable, you will feel progress and feel that you are moving in the right direction - that’s all this will improve your motivation to continue working. - Simplify tasks
. Advice related to the previous one. It is very difficult to stay motivated when we imagine how difficult it will be to complete a task. Simplify, remove unnecessary things, focus on the most important things. - Focus on your achievements
.
We often measure success not by how far we've come, but by how far we are from our dreams and ideals. This habit significantly reduces motivation and causes procrastination. It is important to change this mindset and focus on achievement and measuring progress. You can even keep a notebook, write down all your victories there
(including victories over yourself, “I washed the dishes right after eating!”) and re-read it if you feel like you’re losing motivation.
Whether you're trying to lose weight, run a marathon, get a degree, or achieve some other goal, motivation likely plays an important role in your endeavor. Try the strategies and tips above to increase your enthusiasm and achieve success faster.
