Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation

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The small area principle helps people know what to focus on when motivation lags in the middle. Emphasizing what you've already accomplished works best when you're in the early part of your journey. Looking ahead to the unfinished business ahead can be demotivating. But once you get closer to the goal, looking ahead can switch over to become very motivating. Think of the long distance runner who knows the finish line is just minute away- they get energized by the proximity of it! But earlier in the race is not the time to focus on that finish line. Trying to stay motivated and make serious progress in whatever you’re trying to achieve in life can sometimes feel like an impossible task. But it doesn’t have to be. There’s a simple fix – and it just so happens to be in your control. It all starts with changing your circumstances. Most importantly, you need to define your goals. You need to pay attention to maintaining momentum, stay focused when you’ve got a billion other things on your plate and get your friends and family involved. And when you make your behavior and environment work for rather than against you, your goal of getting that raise, or that strong healthy body, or that tax return form sorted, or that new language learned, will be yours in no time! fantasizing is fun but doesn’t generate action; fantasies about outcomes are largely ineffective tools for growth

And two, you confirm to yourself that your goal is worth it, simply because of the sheer amount of time and effort you put in.

About Ayelet Fishbach

Ayelet Fishbach is theJeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing and IBM Corporation Faculty Scholar attheChicago Booth School of Business. Dacă vrei să schimbi ceva în viața ta primul lucru pe care trebuie să îl faci este să evaluezi situația actuală iar daca o schimbare este necesară, trebuie sa creezi circumstanțele pentru a duce la schimbarea dorită. I want to say I learned something from this book but it was just so heavy-handed with the numerous theories in the end that I doubt I will remember hardly anything coming month or two. And few pearls of wisdom I decided to commit to memory were pushed out by the heavy-handed serving of superfluous information later on. So I think if this book aimed to teach long-term it missed the goal on this. One way to sustain motivation is to pursue activities that feel like ends in themselves—activities you're intrinsically motivated to do for the sake of doing them, that are fun or enjoyable or exciting. For these activities, Fishbach says, But not only could you be the one giving advice, you could also start to look for a possible role model – someone you could emulate on your way to achieving your goal. It could be anyone really – a friend, parent, teacher, or colleague. But your role model should know you exist. Why? Because a great role model is someone who doesn’t only set an example; they help set expectations for you.

There are ways to dial up the intrinsic motivation factor on goals that are important to you. For example, when it comes to exercise, you can choose a workout that is fun. Fishbach described a study in which she had asked a group of people in a gym to choose an exercise based on how much they enjoyed it and asked another group of gym-goers to choose one based on how important it was that they do a particular exercise. She found that those who chose based on enjoyment worked out longer. You could use it to your advantage, by, say, working in a public place like a café. And if you’re a bit of a hermit with lots of aspirations, there’s still hope. Because even a proxy for another’s presence, like a picture of a loved one or (this one’s a little bit creepy) of staring eyes, can help you put in the extra effort and inspire you to be your best self. Final Summary goals must be valuable and within reach (be on the right side of sunk-cost fallacy); action increases commitment You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”Break the goal down into smaller chunks and find milestones that are rewarding and motivating. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. And after the first 100 miles, maybe reward yourself with a ice cream cone or something to celebrate your progress.

Some of her suggestions felt like commonsense. For example, break goals into sub-goals. Break large projects into weekly assignments so you don't lose steam midway through. Set milestones, so you're always at the beginning of a new milestone or close to reaching the next one—minimize time that's just "in the middle". So how do you motivate yourself to pursue your dreams and desires when life is in full swing? It all starts with choosing the right goal. In her insightful new book Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation (debuting January 4 from Little Brown Spark), Fishbach takes on the questions that plague us most:P170 “It’s important…that you correctly judge the strength of the temptations you’ll face. As long as your expectations are well calibrated, you’ll be prepared to fight temptation off.”