Without motivation, it’s almost impossible to achieve any of the goals we set ourselves in life, so when motivation fades, what can we do to turn things around? Firstly, we need to understand what motivates us. There are two main types of motivations: inner, which are those that are driven by personal satisfaction; and outer, which are those that come from external demands or obligations. How we react to these defines what type of person we are and what is needed to find motivation when you need it.
The Four Tendencies Framework was developed by Gretchen Rubin and she identified the following types and the ways each can be motivated.
Upholder
This means you are someone who is driven by getting things done, whether for yourself or other people. Using tools to schedule and plan your life is what motivates you to get things done, so using a to-do list or an app like Todoist will help you to keep on top of things and be motivated to keep on powering through. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to make sure you understand what you’re being asked to do, as understanding the bigger picture can really help you appreciate the importance of your role.
Questioner
You are motivated by logic and fairness and aren’t afraid to question whether an expectation is one you need to be meeting. This means that you would benefit from using an app like Eisenhower, which allows you to prioritize your task list into quadrants based on importance and urgency. It may also help to consider each task and how you can make it meaningful to you, as this will increase your motivation to get it done.
Obliger
You’re driven largely by the desire to meet external expectations on you and can struggle with those that come from within. You rarely need the motivation to deliver for someone else, so you need to work on achieving those goals that you regularly let slip. One way to do this would be to publicly commit to a goal and/or a timeline, as this will increase the pressure you put on yourself to do it, and Asana is a good app to use for this. But don’t pile too much on yourself, so allow yourself a treat to prevent burnout.
Rebel
As the name suggests, you do what you want to do, no matter what expectations anyone else – or yourself – has set for you. This means that you need to find your own spin on tasks to motivate yourself to deliver on them, so don’t be afraid to be creative, whilst also working to spin each task into a personal challenge or even a game. Whatever works to help you find what you need within a task that might otherwise not seem like something you want to be doing.
You can read more about these types and find which one applies to you in this infographic from QuickQuid.
How do you find motivation when you need it? Post your advice in the comments below.
Leave a Reply