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It’s an earnest question, and I’m not interested solely so I can poach your great techniques. I’m interested because ever since my father strapped my brother into his seat so that he might be motivated to finish his dinner, I’ve been fascinated by what what really inspires people to finish the work in front of them–especially if these methods are extreme. An Ohio State University study on employee motivation broke down the importance of the following factors:
The ranked order of motivating factors were: (a) interesting work, (b) good wages, (c) full appreciation of work done, (d) job security, (e) good working conditions, (f) promotions and growth in the organization, (g) feeling of being in on things, (h) personal loyalty to employees, (i) tactful discipline, and (j) sympathetic help with personal problems.
Motivation in your 9-5 is one thing, but how do you motivate yourself to pursue extracurricular passions (writing, exercising, calling people back, cleaning, cooking, anything) after you clock out? Edmund Wilson used to lock Mary McCarthy in a closet with a typewriter. I have chasmophilia, so this relationship seems ideal to me. There’s just something unusually comforting about small spaces; I always prefer the smaller room in apartments I’ve had, and when I drive I like to be inches from the wheel. And when I have writing to do, sometimes there’s no better place to do it than the backseat of a car, or at least a tightly packed bus with little leg room. But I’m weird. What about you–what that motivates you?
Comments (14)
Comment
Just an FYI (in case you didn’t know this already): Sitting just inches from your steering wheel is a really bad idea. Airbags are designed to function with several inches of travel to inflate properly. And if your car doesn’t have an airbag, you’re likely to slam your sternum into the steering wheel (and perhaps send your forehead into the dash or windshield).
posted by Seth on 9-14-2007 at 11:18 pm
Lists make me more motivated. Crossing something off the list makes me feel excited and even more motivated so that I can begin and cross of the next item. I think that joesgoals.com is a simple but helpful tool.
posted by Shawna on 9-15-2007 at 12:03 am
Thanks, Seth…You’re right: I should back off the wheel. I congratulate myself for sober driving and signaling and all that, and then there I go driving too close to the wheel. Oy. Maybe one day cars won’t start if people don’t scoot back, like the Nissans being developed that won’t start if you’re drunk.
posted by Becky on 9-15-2007 at 12:23 am
I motavate myself to go bike riding by thinking of the gas I save and knowing most drivers think I’m crazy. As for the punk who came over the white line at me last week, I’m looking for you!!
posted by gus on 9-15-2007 at 7:07 am
The following things motivate me occasionally:
Call of duty
Interested motives (if job wage)
Contemplation as a result (if creative activity)
posted by Amuseal on 9-15-2007 at 8:59 am
I find myself motivated by a vision of the future and what things will be like if I do a particular thing. The nicer the future looks, the more motivated I am …
posted by Vip on 9-15-2007 at 10:23 am
Enjoying something is real motivation.
I just hired a personal trainer because I want to tighten up for a vacation overseas and that vacation and being in tip top shape for it is my motivation - and it is a long term one because I’m probably going to hate the working out.
Of course, I pre-paid for the sessions and that’s some damn motivation right there, too. But mainly, I want to be really healthy.
For all other things, stress is a big motivator and knowing how good I’ll feel when it is over.
posted by RandomEsq on 9-15-2007 at 8:38 pm
I motivate myself by meticulously writing down my lists, creating exacting calendar (including entries for travel time) and then I ignore it all and just rock. There’s something about having everything blocked out (in case I need that kind of rigid structure) and then not needing it.
posted by Lalita on 9-16-2007 at 12:22 am
I have chasmophilia too!! You have just opened up new worlds of possibility with that inadvertent vocabulary lesson. Thanks!
Ways I motivate myself:
(1) I keep a copy of the Maxim cover with Kelly Monaco taped above my alarm clock to motivate me to go running.
(2) I love checking things off lists, so I have a regularly-updated Next Actions list per David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” system.
(3) I read motivational quotations, particularly Abraham Lincoln’s “Good things come to those who wait, but only those things left behind by those who hustle” and the money speech from Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.”
(4) I totally agree with RandomEsq that pre-paying for a personal trainer is hugely motivational, especially when you develop a relationship with them over time and have the added guilt factor of disappointing them in some way. I miss my last trainer like crazy, but I travel too much to have figured out how to best incorporate multiple trainers in multiple cities. For now I keep a bikram yoga unlimited pass at two studios in the cities I’m in most often, which is also pre-paid and also loses value the less often I go.
posted by Marina @ Sufficient Thrust on 9-16-2007 at 12:37 pm
My situation might be slightly different than most…I work from home and what motivates me to get to work, instead of farting around the house all day watching Gimore Girls, is MONEY…if you work for yourself, and are the only person who can pay your bills, then that’s plenty of motivation my friend…
but when I worked for a company, I found it easy to get complacent and just walk thru the work day…
posted by donner on 9-16-2007 at 7:09 pm
I have a lot of bills, so at work, money and keeping my job motivate me. Away from work I ride Off-road motorcycles and use that as a reward for doing a good job at home.
posted by sandburr on 9-17-2007 at 12:58 am
Money is a fine motivator. But I use lists less as motivation than a visual means of showing myself what I’ve accomplished. Kind of a reward.
Lately, I’ve had no motivation to play music. My hands are particularly achy, lately, though.
I’ve had a few negative motivations. When I quit smoking I told myself that to go back to itwould be a loss of accomplishment. I was motivated not to be a loser/failure, but it’s worked for 27 years.
posted by Bassman on 9-17-2007 at 6:08 am
I get motivated when I get positive feedback (sometimes money, sometimes just positive recognition).
I’ve also found that the more organized I am the more motivated I am. The addition of a daily planner increased my productivity significantly.
Finally, if I can convince myself that what I’m doing is going to result in something good, I just focus my attention on that end result and plow into the work.
posted by Scott on 9-17-2007 at 12:11 pm
When it comes to goals or planning, I’ve always been partial to scribbling things out longhand. I use a Moleskine for brainstorming, which I find much more productive than using the computer.
Along those lines, a great company called Knock Knock (a .biz, not a .com) used to make something called a Resolution Tracker, and it looked perfect for this kind of thing. I don’t think they carry it now, but there are a few other interesting takes on this (e.g. an Idea Log) on the Knock Knock website.
Does anyone know of another writing-based tool that might accomplish the same thing?
posted by Paul on 9-18-2007 at 8:04 pm