This is a series of posts about motivation, based on Richard Ryan and Edward Deci’s Self Determination Theory. In each post, I will talk about one of the three key needs that are linked with intrinsic motivation: Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness.
motivation
noun
1. a feeling of enthusiasm or interest that makes you determined to do something.
2. a reason for doing something.
(Macmillan English Dictionary)“I just can’t do it, Captain. I don’t have the power!”
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
It’s no shocker that getting yourself motivated isn’t always a piece of cake. One of the big elements of studying to be a teacher is figuring out the things that will, or will not, keep students motivated. The plus side is that in the process, you (i.e. me) might find something to apply on your (my) own studies as well.
One such thing is the concept of basic needs that, when met, contribute to motivation. Say I’m feeling like there’s absolutely nothing that could ever compel me to do this thing I really have to do.
Hypothetically speaking.
Like the hypothetical mountain of dishes fermenting in the kitchen, or the essay I have to write, or that e-mail I was supposed to work on two nights ago. Or any item on my Todoodlist, for that matter. Man, there’s a bunch of stuff on there.
This is when I summon the Three Motivation Musketeers to the rescue! [insert appropriate jingle] Here they come, eager and intent to save me from the horrors of demotivation. The first Musketeer to draw his imaginary sword *zzing* is Competence.
If the problem is skill, there’s mostly one of two things going on. Either the task is so horribly and overwhelmingly difficult that I lose hope just thinking of doing it. Master’s Thesis, anyone? It could also be so ridiculously easy that I just can’t come up with the necessary energy to do it, choosing to spend my time doing something more inspiring.
When you’re happily in between those two extremes, you’re likely to achieve the elusive flow Csikszentmihalyi was all about. (For the record: I did have to check and double-check the spelling.) When your skills more or less match the challenge you’re facing, you’re home free.
The thing is, increasing my skill level is not really a viable solution for an acute problem (with the exception of using Shiva Nata to totally activate my brain, of course). So whenever Competence steps up to fight my battle (gently and nonviolently, of course), he’s not really increasing my skill levels as he is tweaking the challenge I’m facing.
Just Too Darn Hard
Daunting task ahead? No way you could ever ever do it? Pick one thing and work on it for fifteen minutes. This is what FlyLady is all about, and her half a million fans can’t all be desperately wrong. Is it the Master’s Thesis? Spend fifteen minutes writing everything and anything that comes to mind about the topic. No topic? Fifteen minutes on brainstorming what it is that you’d like to research.
My Mom and Dad are considering moving house after living in their apartment for twenty years. Imagine the amount of stuff they have, then multiply it by two. That’s how much there is. Whenever I have an afternoon off, I’ll go over, we’ll have some coffee, after which I’ll set the timer for fifteen minutes and we’ll attack (again, gently and nonviolently) a dresser drawer, a bookshelf, the linen closet, the sauna… (Yes, they have a sauna they’ve been using as storage space. That much stuff.)
We’ve sent a lot of stuff to the local equivalent of Goodwill. Although there’s still a lot to do, the biggest change has been my Mom’s attitude. Before, she’d spend her energy fretting about how she never gets around to decluttering and woe is me, for the house looks horrible. Now, she’s actually getting something done. Just yesterday she called, said she was decluttering a bit, and that she’d found a piece of retro clothing – did I want it for my drama prop collection or should she just toss it? I’d call that motivation right there.
Just Can’t Be Bothered
The other extreme is the task that you just can’t be bothered to even start, because… Blah. Boring. Would much rather be doing something else. Enter the pile of dishes fermenting in the kitchen. Not exactly rocket science there, quite the contrary.
My two best self-delusion i.e. motivation-increasing tips for getting around to the apathy-inducing tasks:
1) Multi-tasking and
2) Racing the clock.
They both work because they increase the challenge I’m facing, although in a different way.
1) Multi-tasking
This is really the only reason I’d purposefully multi-task. In everything else, the end result is more or less slipshod and half-assed. On the other hand, if doing the dishes (hypothetically, again) won’t give me any mental challenge whatsoever, then it won’t affect my ability to e.g. listen to an educational podcast, like French for beginners, either.
In fact, it’s giving me the perfect excuse to just spend ten minutes listening to the podcast and actually repeating the model phrases (something I avoid doing when listening to the podcast on the metro, for obvious reasons).
This also applies the other way around. If you’re sitting in front of the TV for your favorite show anyway, why not fold clothes, stretch, or do some other boring and mechanical task. Too much effort during the show? There’s always the commercial break.
2) Racing the clock
This is another FlyLady tip. Say the living room looks like a frat house on a Sunday morning, minus the passed-out people lying on the floor. If I set my timer for five minutes and start clearing the coffee table, the “competition” will spark me up up to get it done in that time. Without the positive time stress, I’d just be sitting on the couch, looking at the mess and poking at the nearest thing out of place. (Again, this is purely hypothetical. Our living room hasn’t looked like that in days.)
For some people, this is the reason they leave everything to the last minute. “I work better under stress.” “I thrive three hours before a deadline.” If you recognise yourself, and it totally works for you, no problem. If you don’t actually enjoy starting every single task at three a.m. on the night before the hand-in date, try creating a “fake” deadline by using a timer.
What if tweaking the challenge doesn’t help?
Some tasks are right up your alley in terms of challenge. Any more difficult, and it’s overwhelming. Any easier, and you’re yawning. And yet you’re not in the throes of the flow, creating a masterpiece or making someone’s life better. In fact, you’re this close to calling it a day and finding out if anyone has anything interesting to say on Twitter. Competence has fought a brave battle, but the Daunting Task and the Horrible Demotivation are putting up a fair amount of resistance.
It’s time to bring in the second Motivation Musketeer – Autonomy. Tune in tomorrow to find out what happens next – Will I Ever Manage To Get Anything Done? [insert dramatic jingle]
And until we meet again, keep catching your own insights!
Love,
Sari
