Welcome back to my series on motivation! In the previous post, we covered the first five rules of motivation. These were identified using an advanced Retrieval Augmented-generation AI (RAG AI) to scan the latest scientific literature on motivation and condense it into a few key takeaways.

As a quick recap, the first five rules emphasized taking action, autonomy, varying feedback, optimal challenges, and balancing extrinsic and intrinsic incentives. Today, we’ll dive into the next five motivational rules.

#6: Even a Small Step is Progress

In my twenties, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. While this might sound daunting, it was more of a long uphill hike than a “mountain climb.” On the third day, they took us out at two in the morning, supposedly to ensure we had enough time to reach the summit and return. However, that wasn’t the entire truth.

We started up a very dark, winding path of scree, which is basically a bunch of gravel-like rocks on the side of the mountain. It’s so steep that you take a long zig-zag route back and forth. This trek up the scree lasted for hours. We were all tied together in case anyone slipped, so they wouldn’t fall all the way down the mountain!

When dawn finally came, the top of the mountain was illuminated first. Looking up, I thought, “Oh my goodness… I can’t believe how far we have to go. This looks like it will take forever.” My heart sank, and I seriously thought about abandoning the trip. But as the light illuminated more of the mountain and the valley below, I was amazed to see how far we had come.

The distance we had already covered was many times the distance we had left to go. Realizing the progress we had made gave me new energy and confidence that we’d make it to the top. All those little steps forward didn’t seem like much, but ultimately, they really got us a long way.

#7: Time Off: A Needed Break or Avoidance?

Often when I’m working, I find a hundred other things tugging on my time. Suddenly, I think I should check the news, reach out to a friend, or fix a problem with one of my online accounts. I’ve come to understand that a lot of this is avoidance behavior. Part of my brain is trying to avoid working towards my goal and is pushing me to do other things instead.

There are many reasons for avoidance; for me, it tends to be a fear of failure. I think to myself, “What if I complete this and everyone hates it?” or “No one will care. Why do I bother?” Like a scratch-off lottery ticket left unscratched, an unfinished item always has the potential to be a big winner. Once scratched off, it is either a winner or a loser—the potential is gone. Once it’s done, you also feel a little unmoored as you have to figure out what to do next.

On the other hand, after hours of writing or problem-solving, I often find I’m not thinking my best, and a little time off—even a half-hour break—makes me more productive when I return.

That’s why it’s so important to tell the difference between avoidance and a genuine need for rest or reflection. Taking time off to avoid tasks can be detrimental to achieving your goals, but using it for rest or to gain perspective can rejuvenate motivation and productivity.

#8: Certain vs. Uncertain Incentives

A good friend works at an options trading firm, and some of these options traders are extremely rich. He told me about a work party where they had balloons filled with door prizes. If you were the first to answer a trivia question, you got to pop a balloon of your choice and get whatever was inside. Most rewards were ten or twenty-five dollar gift certificates, with a few larger prizes as well. He told me about the utter joy of one trader who won a paid vacation worth about $1,500. This trader made that much every day, but talked about winning this vacation for years afterward.

This story shows how uncertain incentives, those which you may or may not receive, can be powerful motivators.

Certain incentives are things you know you will get, such as an hourly pay rate. An example of uncertain incentives is an employee of the month award. Incentives that are certain are generally more motivating as the reward is clear and guaranteed. However, uncertain rewards can be motivating as well.

#9: Accountability

I’ve long wanted to be physically fit. I’ve told myself again and again that I’ll go running or to the gym, but I rarely did, at least not regularly. That is, until I started making appointments with individual trainers. Then, I felt like I had appointments I had to keep, so I went to my training sessions not because I was eager to train, but because I didn’t want to let down my trainer by not showing up. I’d made a commitment, and I was going to keep it.

For me, just setting a goal or an appointment is a strong motivator.

This isn’t only true of commitments to others; when we make a clear commitment to ourselves, we are more likely to keep it. Of course, this only works if we hold ourselves accountable to the commitments we make.

#10: “If-Then” Plans

I hit a wall with my AI Motivator App. The “brains” of it was working great, and I was using it myself to help keep me motivated. In fact, it was working so well that I decided to take it from a personal tool to a full iPhone application. I’ve built websites before, but an iPhone app is a very different thing. Even the setup of the environment was something I was unfamiliar with. I had no clue how easy or difficult this path would be.

So, I made myself an “if-then” plan, known as “implementation intentions.” I agreed that I would put in six hours of work on the app, and “if” I wasn’t making solid progress, I would also start making a web application, which I’m much more familiar with. I would return to the mobile app after six hours on the web app. In fact, the mobile app setup was difficult, but having a clear “if-then” plan helped keep me motivated and moving forward.

An “if-then” plan gives you a clear path to follow and is especially good for keeping motivation when difficulties occur.

Final Thoughts

Motivation is a complex and multifaceted concept. So far, the most obviously motivating things have been:

1. Just start, and usually, momentum will carry you forward.
2. Accountability.
3. A reminder that every step toward the goal counts, no matter how small.

My AI Motivation tool uses these concepts and user behavior to custom-design motivational experiences for the user. It has worked tremendously well for me, and I hope it will work as well for others.

References

1. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.
2. Pintrich, P. R., & Schunk, D. H. (2002). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications. Merrill Prentice Hall.
3. Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
4. Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.). (2008). Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.