How do you get motivated? What gets you up early in the morning fired with passion and ready to take on the challenges that await? Or, do you find yourself struggling to get going and dreading the day?
We all go through periods in life where motivation can be tough, where the routine gets monotonous and we find ourselves dragging a little. I find that for me, when I am tired I start to get this way and I get distracted and catch myself watching television or hitting the snooze bar a little too often. I think taking a break every so often is important to recharge the batteries but eventually you have to power through the funk and get yourself going again- refocus and recommit to your goals. So how do we do that?
The first step is figuring out if you are a carrot or a stick person. I imagine that you have heard this analogy before. Imagine a work animal that is hooked up to a large load hauling it to town. The owner is in back trying to get the animal moving. He has 2 options; he can whip the animal from behind (the stick) or he can dangle an incentive in front (the carrot). Which is more motivating to the animal to get it going in the right direction?
Well, it really depends on the animal.
The analogy is similar in motivating ourselves. Some are motivated by rewards- bonuses, days off, gold watches etc. Others are motivated by the stick- being fired, not paid, verbal discipline etc. There are plenty of arguments about which is better but ultimately it comes down to each person individually.
What is that spark that we need to get back on the track, out of the bed, and back to accomplishing our goals? In many ways we are all likely motivated (at least a little bit) by both. This week we will look at incentive motivation- carrots. Next week we will tackle punishment motivation- the sticks.
Carrots- so you are a carrot person
I find that very often in my life I am more motivated by the carrot. So what kind of carrots can we set up to drive accomplishment?
1- Rewards- a few years back my wife and I were trying to save some money and get a handle on our expenses. We were brand new homeowners and just waking up to the fact that when you own a home there are more expenses than just that monthly mortgage. So, we had to cut out some our fun discretionary spending and watch each expenditure. To help keep us on track we created a very elaborate spreadsheet to track every penny in-or-out. At the end of every month we reconciled the accounts and if there was anything left we, according to a predetermined formula, put some in savings, some in investments and little bit into personal separate accounts. The personal money could be used for anything we wanted, no questions asked and no judgmental looks. I can buy $150 hockey sticks (my carrot) and she could get anything she wanted books, clothes, exercise equipment (her carrots). It has worked so well we continue to use it today.
2- Sense of accomplishment- sometimes the only carrot you need is the sense of accomplishment you get when you complete a goal or task. That little bit of pride where you can sit back and smile. Like the feeling that you get when you finish a vigorous work out. I do not run often but when I do I have this specific route around my block that I take. When I finish I walk back and forth in front of the house to cool down. I reflect on how good I feel. I did it, I got out and exercised and now I feel great. The next time when I struggle to get off the couch I think back to how good it felt to accomplish the run and I get out again.
3- Brag board, Facebook, or social recognition- social pats on the back can be incredibly motivating. It would be awkward to pick up the phone and call your friends and say “I just woke up at 5am for the 5th day in a row”. But the social media culture is such that you can pop on with a status update saying the same thing and instantly gets a handful of “likes”; people acknowledging and recognizing your effort.
4- The prize- This is one that I find useful in my life. It is the when…then… motivation. I set a task that I want accomplish and then immediately place a reward for its accomplishment. For example, I love Yogurtland. I think I could skip dinner and eat there every night, which makes it a great motivator. I can easily commit myself to doing something with the reward of getting some yogurt. If I make 30 prospecting calls by Friday I will go to Yogurtland. I also reward myself with movie time, down time or sports. If I know a big game is coming up Saturday night and I want to take the time to sit down (guilt free) and watch, I give myself a goal to “earn” it. Things like writing a chapter in my new book or publishing a podcast episode. If I don’t get it done, guess what I am doing during the big game…..
5- The chain- This idea came from comedian Jerry Seinfeld. He said when you are trying to get into a habit or you have a routine that needs to be maintained, print yourself a 1 page calendar with just the numbers of every day of the month. Start with day one and when you accomplish the task for the day take a colorful marker and draw an “x” over the date. After a few days you have created a chain of x’s that you will not want to break. This can even work for breaking bad habits. The desire to keep that chain going is incentive not to miss a single day. If you do miss a day, you can just start a new chain. I recommend printing a new calendar and starting a new chain so you are not continually visually reminded of stumbles.
6- Your cheering section- My wife is a runner and she loves to enter organized races. I try to bring the family out to watch when I can. We always position ourselves at the end near the finish line and watch the runners come through. There is often a big group, music and food. As runners come around the corner and head “down the stretch” the crowd cheers, people on the inside hold out “high fives” and a photographer catches the moment. As exhausted as the runners are it always puts smile on their faces to see and feel the support. Having a cheering section when you accomplish a goal can be a great incentive.
I happen to be a “carrot” person and can relate to rewards for accomplishment. Next week we will tackle the other side of the analogy- stick people.