Opinions that the right motivation is. Where to find motivation and how to motivate yourself: effective methods and pitfalls. Pitfalls that prevent you from motivating yourself

IN modern world it is difficult to imagine an illiterate person, but one who thinks differently is much more difficult. Education has become accessible to everyone. We are taught by carbon copy, given simple formulas that everyone should apply. You can be an erudite person, speak according to a template, but not be able to think for yourself. The biography that I will tell today is a story of non-standard thinking, an inner core, overcoming oneself and circumstances. The story of a genius.

Childhood and family

On July 30, 1863, the son of Henry appeared in a family of wealthy farmers. He was the first child to survive birth. Subsequently, he became the eldest in the house of six children. The family lived in Michigan, near Detroit.

The boy studied at a church school, with difficulty overcoming congenital dyslexia. Until the end of his days, he wrote with errors, but this did not prevent him from thinking and thinking outside the box.

Henry's father considered him a lazy person because he did not want to work on the farm like everyone else. The boy kept coming up with ideas on how to make his work easier.

Mother always said that the son was born as a mechanic, because instead of toys, there were always tools in his pockets.

If one of the 6 children was given a mechanical toy, the guys hid it from Henry, knowing that he would take the thing down into small parts.

The boy had a strong spiritual connection with his mother, her death greatly affected the child's consciousness - the desire to stay and live and work on the farm finally disappeared, he was 12 years old.

At the age of 13, the father gave his son a watch, not even realizing that this small thing would bring the little mechanic even closer to his dream. The future genius of the automotive industry could not just look at them - he was interested in how they work, he easily disassembled them into small parts and just put them back together. Less than two years later, the whole district learned about the talent of the younger Ford.

Henry's future interests were greatly influenced by a trip to Detroit, where for the first time at the age of 12 he saw a locomotive powered by a motor. It was then that the boy decided that he would invent a safe and affordable means of transportation, radically different from carriages with horses.

And so it happened, the young mechanic constantly worked in his workshop, which caused his father's disapproval. And already at the age of 15 he invented his first engine.

The beginning of the great

At 16, Ford moved to Detroit and started an apprentice at a Shipbuilding Company.

After 4 years, Henry returns to his father's farm, having a specialty as a mechanic. At home, he worked in various auto repair shops and car companies on the repair of steam engines, working part-time in a jewelry store as a watchmaker.

The boy all the time wanted to make work on the farm easier, this prompted him to invent a gasoline thresher. Soon, Thomas Edison bought the patent for this equipment.

This was a defining moment, already in 1891, Ford moved to live in Detroit to work as a mechanical engineer in the company of Thomas Edison. By this time, Henry had managed to start a family, his wife was the farmer's daughter Clara Bright, with whom he lived happily all his life. In his spare time, Ford was pursuing a dream - the invention of the internal combustion engine.

The company's management was negative about his obsessive ideas. But already in 1896, the mechanical genius assembled his first self-propelled vehicle, the Ford Quadricycle. To advertise his miracle of technology, Ford often drove the streets of the city, attracting the attention of future customers, but he was mistaken for an obsessive.

Henry did not give up, becoming one of the founders of the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899. It soon went bankrupt and closed due to financial insolvency.

But this did not stop the genius of mechanics, who stubbornly moved towards the goal, considering failure only a step up.

Formation of Ford Motor

After winning the race, investors and customers were drawn to Ford. In 1902 he founds a company named after himself "Ford Motor". Henry's main idea remains unchanged - to make the car an affordable means of transportation. At that time it was unthinkable, the same as now to make a flight to Mars for everyone.

The designer continued to work on simplifying the mechanism for creating a car, soon starting to use a conveyor line. It was a breakthrough in technology, which significantly reduced the cost of the production process.

But Henry understood that the quality of cars depends on the people who make them, so he created all the conditions for the work of his employees: the rate was twice as high as competitors, he reduced the working day to 8 hours, he used three work shifts.

In 1903, Ford Motor Company received a lawsuit from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, which claimed a monopoly in the industry. JB Selden patented the paper design of the car and threatened all buyers of the Ford Motor brand with legal action for infringement of his copyright.

The common cause lasted from 1903 to 1911. Here Henry has established himself as a fighter for consumer rights, promising protection to each of his clients. Not the first time, but Ford won the case!

Legendary "Ford-T"

In 1908, Ford Motors gained great fame with the development of the Ford-T car: comfortable, practical, with a simple finish. The model is easy to operate, accessible not only to the rich, but also to the middle class. Its market price was $ 950 and was in such unprecedented demand among consumers that orders had to be suspended.

By 1910, a new modernized Hayland Park plant was opened: a new assembly plant was introduced, a ventilation system appeared, and lighting was improved. Using an assembly line reduced the production of one car from 12 hours to 2 hours! This drove the price down to $ 290 per car. This particular model accounted for 10% of all car sales in the world.

Owner of factories, newspapers and ships

In order not to depend on the external economic situation in the country, the owner of factories, newspapers and steamships invests in the production of mines, coal, and other factories. He makes sure that he has everything he needs to build cars.

Henry saw the essence of money not in money itself, but in the opportunities that it opens up. He did not have a goal of accumulation, he was more interested in the opportunity to translate his childhood dream into reality.

Management secrets

In his companies, the automotive king created new personnel management and motivation systems:

increased wages to $ 5 per day;
reduced working hours from 9 hours to 8 hours, establishing 24-hour shift work;
introduced one day off, later made 2 days off;
introduced paid vacation once a year;
provided medical insurance;
built inexpensive housing for the workers, which he provided them in installments.

Thousands of people were drawn to him. Ford was strict about discipline. Its employees had to lead a correct lifestyle. A worker who spent money not on his family, but on alcohol and entertainment was given probationif he did not improve, dismissal followed.

The staff was monitored by a whole department of 60 people: they kept sociological records, visited workers' apartments, and conducted polls.

Even with a large staff of managers, Henry used a dictatorial management style, deciding all strategic issues on his own.

On the verge of bankruptcy

In the First World War, the factories of the industrial magnate switched to production military equipment, gas masks, helmets. This met with approval from the people of America.

But Ford did not want to earn money on blood, so after the end of hostilities, he returned the production of cars to the assembly line.

The inventor thought that the consumer, having bought once, will always be loyal to the brand.

But by 1927, Ford-T sales had dropped to such a level that the company was on the verge of ruin. The entrepreneur had to suspend the work of the factories and dismiss the workers. He did not give up, but looked for a solution to the crisis situation. Together with his son Ersel, Henry began developing a new type of car. In the same year, Ford-A was presented.

The model surpassed the competitors' cars in technical equipment and unique design. Ford again emerged victorious, regaining leadership positions.

In 1929, the Great Depression began in the United States, for another two years the Ford Corporation stood firmly on its feet, but in 1931 it began to lose ground.

The industrial tycoon again had to close some factories, and the rest had to cut wages. The workers were extremely unhappy with the events, riots began. The most significant riot took place near the Rouge plant: the police were able to disperse people only by using weapons.

And in this situation, the genius of mechanics did not give up. His analytical mind found the solution in the invention of a new sports car "Ford V8", accelerating to 130 km per hour!

Thanks to this decision, the factories of the entrepreneur increased their output again and overcame the decline in sales.

The sunset of life

In 1945, Ford was awarded the Elliot Cresson Medal (a prize for outstanding technical inventions) for the rise of industry and automotive construction in the world.

Back in the 30s, the son of an entrepreneur Ersel Bright became the head of the Ford Motor company. But after his death from cancer in 1943, Henry had to take control again. Old age, health problems did not allow to conduct business at the same level. Then, in 1945, Ford Sr. transfers the management of the company to his grandson William.

The businessman spent his last days at his home in Dearborn. On April 7, 1947, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage, he was 83 years old.

Heritage

The biography of the great industrialist is of interest to readers to this day. Henry was not only a great inventor, but also an outstanding manager. His methods of enterprise management have become the basis for the way of life of modern companies.

One of the most famous books by Ford, "My Life, My Achievements" is popular in our time. The publication tells about not only the great victories of the entrepreneur. From it you can glean the methods of organizing production, personnel policy, management models.

The mechanical genius left behind a thriving family business today. This is one of the few companies in the management of which, exclusively the heirs of Ford participate. The family owns 40% of the company's shares, the rest are in free float.

Today Ford Motor ranks 4th in the world in terms of car production. The company continues to develop, the number of factories is increasing annually.

Market capitalization in 2019 is 34 687 287 296 $

Quotes

I would like to improve the world by living in it.
Successful people get ahead by taking advantage of the time others are wasting.
The main benefit of capital is not to make more money, but in making money to improve life.
The most good job Is a highly paid hobby.
Everyone who stops learning grows old - it doesn't matter at 20 or 80 - and everyone else who continues to learn remains young. The most important thing in life is keeping the brain young.
If I did only what people want from me, they would still ride carriages.
Obstacles are frightening things that appear when you stop looking at your goal.
I want it. So it will be.
Old people always advise young people to save money. This is bad advice. Do not save up dimes. Invest in yourself. I never saved a dollar in my life until I was forty.
Thinking is the hardest job; that's probably why so few people do it.
You can get a Ford-T in any color, as long as that color is black.
I never say, "I need you to do this." I say, "I wonder if you can do it."
Everything can be done better than it has been done so far.
Quality is about doing something right, even when no one is looking.
Whether you can accomplish something, or you are sure you cannot, in both cases you are right.

Conclusion

Through his life, the outstanding industrialist set an example to the whole world how a boy from a farm became a genius of modern engineering. Ford never gave up on his childhood dream. He thought uniquely, knew how to make non-standard decisions and never stopped there.

Henry was not interfered with by external factors, he firmly and systematically walked towards the fulfillment of the goal: to provide people with an affordable car for every day. He did not work to make money, but to improve the world in which he lives. Surprisingly, the genius of mechanics believed in the reincarnation of souls. He believed that all his knowledge was acquired and accumulated in past lives. Until the end of his days, Ford wrote with mistakes, but he never tired of repeating that this is not the main thing, it is much more important to be able to think.

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The importance of motivation manifests itself in one of two cases: when a person is ready to study and work for hours without stopping, and when it is given to him with great difficulty. Everyone wants to be productive, but it's incredibly difficult to motivate yourself every day.

Does not exist easy way teach yourself to wake up in the morning with burning eyes and a desire to achieve goals. Therefore, this article is intended to collect all the most important and interesting in order to help you understand yourself and your motives. We will consider not only motivation as such, but also go through different areas of life where it plays a special role: sports, study and work.

What is motivation

Motivation - the reason for the actions, desires and needs of people. It is also what makes a person want to repeat the behavior. A motive is what prompts a person to act in a certain way, or at least develop a tendency toward a particular behavior.

There are several more definitions of this phenomenon:

an internal state or state that activates a behavior and gives it direction
desire or need that fuels and directs purposeful behavior
the influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behavior
arousal, direction and consistency of behavior

Note that many definitions include the word “direction”. We can say that motivated person is a vector that has direction and strength. Even in a state of rest, he still makes efforts (for example, mental).

A person can achieve a serious goal if he balances between motivation (when the task is interesting, pleasurable and easy to accomplish) and willpower (when the task is set, you don't want to take it on, but we force ourselves because it is necessary).

Motivation is usually divided into drives and motives. Drives are mostly biological, such as thirst, hunger, sleepiness, and the need to reproduce, all of which lead us to search and engage in certain activities. It is believed that drives are within a person and do not require outside influence or encouragement.

Motives, on the other hand, are driven by social and psychological mechanisms such as work, family, and relationships. These include factors such as praise and approval.

Consider what theories of motivation exist and how they differ.

Motivation theories

There are many theories of motivation, but we will highlight the most interesting and significant ones.

Motivation instinct theory... According to her, people are motivated to behave in a certain way, because they are evolutionarily programmed to do so. For example, biological instincts that are important for the survival of the organism, such as fear, purity, and love.
Stimulating theory of motivation... It assumes that people are motivated to do something because of external rewards. For example, your motivation might be your salary.
Drive and need theory... Processes such as eating, drinking and sleeping are dictated by physiological needs. Therefore, he is motivated enough when he feels a lack of them.
Arousal motivation theory... It assumes that people are motivated to do things that help them maintain optimal levels of arousal (called flow). A person with low arousal needs may engage in relaxing activities such as reading a book, while people with high needs may be motivated to do something physically exciting, such as motorcycle racing.

Motivation can also be viewed in terms of a zone of influence. In this case, it is divided into external and internal.

External and internal motivation

Intrinsically motivated behavior is generated by the sense of personal satisfaction that it brings. The person gets joy from the task. You can be called motivated if you study at the university for fun and in order to become educated.

Intrinsic motivation is a critical element in cognitive, social and physical development; those people who are inherently motivated are more likely to perform better and improve their skills.

Externally motivated behavior, on the other hand, is performed in order to receive something from others. Employees can do their job because they want the company to pay them, not because they love it. Some athletes are driven by the goal of winning the competition and getting praise from the fans; they are not guided by the inner satisfaction they get from the game.

Likewise, if you are studying at a university because you want to get high-paying job or meet the demands of your parents, your motivation is more external.

This is in theory, but in reality everything is a little more complicated. Motivation is often a combination of both internal and external factors, and their ratio may change over time. Therefore, it is recommended to try yourself in different areas and look for a hobby in order to understand which type of activity brings more pleasure.

We are done with theory and it's time to figure out how to motivate ourselves in different areas of life.

Motivation for learning

For many people, it is difficult to motivate themselves to study for two reasons:

They want to start working right away.
They want instant returns in the form of money or approval.

When you are studying or programming (that is, an activity that takes a fair amount of time without commitment), there is a great risk that after two weeks you will stop doing it. Learning requires patience, because for a long time you will not receive any results or money. Therefore, motivation for learning is even more important than for work.

Below you will see a step-by-step structure that will increase your level of motivation to learn.

Objectives... Start by realizing and writing down two types of goals: long term and short term. Short-term goals will both affect your level of motivation and move you towards long-term goals.

Write down all of your goals.
Avoid ambiguity, goals should be clear and clear.
Break up difficult goals into smaller ones.
Indicate how you intend to achieve your goal. The more detailed the better.
Visualize the achievement of your goal and how you will feel in the future when you reach it.
Reward yourself. External incentives should complement motivation, not define it.

Just start... The brain is so arranged that it resists any change in activity, because it does not want to lose energy. Knowing this, you should do your best to stay in the learning state as long as possible - after a while, the desire to learn will arise. Now this process becomes basic, and distraction from it becomes painful.

Tell yourself, "I will only study for 30 minutes and then we'll see."
Don't torture yourself by presenting alternatives to school. Focusing on other activities will make learning grueling.
The faster you concentrate, the faster you will complete the lesson.
Imagine the negative consequences of procrastination and laziness (we are afraid of inner pain).
Imagine the positive consequences of achieving a goal (we strive to have fun).
Eliminate distractions (set your phone to silent).

Reach one small goal... You have already divided your long-term goal into several short-term ones, and now you just need to achieve one of them. This is important because it allows you to feel that you have become better, have reached a new level. very popular now and not by chance. In the game, motivation appears as if by itself: you do not need to look for it and carve it out of stone.

Find the right music... Many people ignore this advice, but in vain. What is the main thing in learning? Complete concentration. So download music that has no words and try to work for a few hours. If this is yours, use this playlist more often.

Clear the table... Few will sit at a table littered with piles of paper and various rubbish. A clean table - clear thoughts. It's always hard to start, and when you see a piled-up table, you find yourself a lot of excuses for not doing anything.

Genuine interest... You can force yourself, or you can love learning. What does it mean? For example, you teach english language and it seems boring. Read the book "You Cannot Be Teached foreign language"Nikolay Zamyatkin, which will allow you to get interested in the process of learning languages. Be interested in more than just rules and boring theories, find interesting Facts in any area that you master.

Motivation for sports

Everyone wants to be and clearly understands this. Why, then, are so few people involved in sports? Because they lack motivation. They have knowledge, they have understanding, there is a need, but there is no desire. You can even force yourself to work or study, but going for a run (if this is not your profession) is incredibly difficult. Here are some tips to help you do this.

Read books about sports... After reading an article about sports, the likelihood of doing it increases significantly. Much depends on the skill of the author, who may or may not evoke this desire. After a few days, motivation and enthusiasm disappear. So read books and exercise at the same time.

Athletes publish their autobiographies - reading them will be a great motivating factor. There are books on fitness, proper breathing, and more. If they help you at least start doing morning exercises, then some of their functions are already performing.

Track your progress... Smart watches are of particular value to those who go in for sports. It's fascinating to watch how many kilometers you have run and how many calories after a run. Find popular apps for your mobile platform and use them.

Find a sports friend... It will be much more difficult for you to refuse going to the gym if you realize that you will let the person down. Together, you can enjoy a great time and help motivate each other. Someone who is better than you will usually be more motivated as you try to keep up with them. And vice versa.

Find music for sports... Motivation appears when strong positive emotions are raging in your psyche. Music evokes them quickly.

Collect your bag and leave it near the door... This is the simplest and most effective trigger. We have already said that the brain does not want to change its activity, which means that any obstacle will be perceived as a reason not to do it. If your bag is collected and is near the door, you just need to put on your shoes and leave the apartment. Even if today you have the strongest motivation for sports, do not flatter yourself - it will disappear overnight.

Set up a schedule... Replace “I should go to the pool” with “I’ll go to the pool tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday right after work.” You are not looking for an excuse, but you put up with the decision and plan your life, considering that two hours for the pool are already scheduled.

Motivation to work

Work can be painful if you are mentally focused solely on doing all this for the money. Even your favorite work will become unpleasant over time if you are fixated only on external rewards.

Motivation to work differs significantly from motivation to study in one important point: in studies, it is important to start (the first 30 minutes), but in many cases you are forced to do the work. The problem is not getting the job done (you get it done), but enjoying it.

Let's see what methods and tips will help you avoid such a mistake.

Productive morning... Not better way hate your job than start the morning wrong. Wrong means unproductive and completely meaningless. It doesn't matter what kind of work you have, in the office or at home, the first 30 minutes after waking up are of great importance.

What can and should be done during this time? Review your to-do list for today that you put together in advance last night. This is important because it allows you to instantly tune in to work. Meditate and do exercises - the first clears thoughts, the second brings you out of a state of laziness and rest.

Defining the task... Work motivates when it’s clear what you’re doing. Think about it: how does it feel when you have a clear understanding of a task or make serious progress on a large project? At the end of each day or week, create a “Done” list (opposite the to-do list) in which you will outline all the tasks that you completed. Keep it in front of your eyes for added motivation.

Variety of skills... What completely kills motivation? Boredom, routine, repetition. When you do the same thing, it drives you crazy. Whatever you do, there is always the opportunity to learn something new, study many books on the topic and immediately apply knowledge in practice. Do the work in different ways, mix different styles and demeanors.

Feedback... If you want to become motivated, collect feedback on your work. Not only to boost ego (if the job is done well), but also because the right feedback can help hone skills. It is good because it unsettles the usual rut, offers fresh ideas and makes you doubt the usual order of things. It helps you look at yourself and your work from a different angle. Freshness appears and destroys the routine.

Remind yourself why you do what you do... Even if your work is enjoyable and of great value, you can forget about it. Remind yourself of its importance every day - in the morning and before bed. In any case, it will be done, so let it be better with pleasure.

Know your why... First, step back and create a list that will display all the ideas, projects, and tasks floating in your mind. Then take a look at the following questions:

Why is this task important to me?
Who and what does it affect?
How will this affect my personal and professional life?

Even if you don’t feel like doing the job today, still tell yourself “I want to do this task,” not “I have to do it.” If you cannot evoke the desired emotion, take a couple of minutes and think: "Why is this so important to me?"

Self-motivation for procrastinators

When deadlines are not absolute or well-defined, procrastinators do not handle them well. All four strategies discussed below are associated with activating emotions that motivate people to get things done.

Reducing available time

Scheduling a task around a job or activity gives procrastinators less time available to get things done, thereby creating a time pressure that activates stimulating emotions. Some people, encouraged by a deadline, challenge themselves before they start working or studying.

If you artificially limit yourself to a time frame, then you begin to control yourself. As we know, work fills all the time allotted for it.

Forced incentives

Professionally successful people emotionally attached to their goals. When they keep their promises about them, they increase their level of motivation. To-do lists are popular for a variety of reasons, but they use them as a tool for making commitments.

Financial considerations are also effective in setting an absolute deadline. This is especially important for those whose income is based on commission or project completion. By regularly assessing the attractiveness of a financial goal and its impact on your long-term plan, you can generate emotions that drive action. It doesn't matter what incentives you find, real or unrealistic, the main thing is for it to work.

Working memory usage

The burst of energy needed to achieve something appears as the deadline approaches. When you think about a task without completing it, you get tired and waste a lot of energy to no avail.

Keep thinking about the task out of your head until you start to complete it. Otherwise, you will not be able to get to work, along the way reproaching yourself for it. Meditation and breathing exercises can help.

Using external circumstances

While procrastinators love to wait for a deadline, under certain circumstances they are motivated to complete tasks early. For example, they can immediately resolve it if the postponement is associated with intrapersonal conflict. That is, the pain of not getting the job done right now should be stronger than the pain of being postponed.

You can prioritize your job so that you don't let your loved one down. The sense of self-shame in some people is not as intense as the feeling of shame experienced in front of those who are dear to us.

Books on motivation and self-motivation

"33 ways of self-motivation" Igor Osipenko
"100 Ways to Self-Motivation" by Steve Chandler
"Dreaming is not harmful" Barbara Sher
"Be the Best Version of Yourself" by Dan Waldschmidt
"Without Self-Pity" Eric Larssen
"To hell with all of it! Take it and do it! " Richard Branson
"Get out of your comfort zone" by Brian Tracy

We wish you good luck!

Understanding the basics of how to motivate employees to increase their contribution to the achievement of the goals of the enterprise becomes a powerful tool for leaders. Investing in personnel can bring results no less than financial investments, you just need to correctly calculate the vectors of application of forces and consistently introduce the developed principles and approaches into the management process.

Nothing is universal

Mistakes made by management can turn the work process into a waste of time, which ultimately will result in a drop in performance, a decrease in competitiveness and, as a result, in the complete collapse of any, even the most promising, undertaking. Therefore, first of all, one must understand what cannot be done.

For every person, motivation is the main driving force, if we do something, then we already want something. Conversely, if we have to do work that is not supported by desire, we will do it through force with the appropriate result. But as there are no absolutely identical people, so there are no completely similar desires. Therefore, what will motivate one to work in full force, the second will not be at all interested.

Therefore, there are no principles that are ideal for everyone. For example, there is one often suggested way to increase employee interest in results, which may seem ideal: pay not at a specific rate, but as a percentage of profits. But there are a lot of performers. They can perfectly cope with clearly set tasks, but they are completely lost if they are required to take personal initiative. At the same time, employees with opposite psychological attitudes are completely unable to act within a clear framework.

Meanwhile, there is always a job that best suits the first or second type. And one of the main personnel mistakes is that an employee is entrusted with activities that are completely unsuitable for his psychotype. At the same time, if you set specific tasks for the former and explain exactly what he should do, and the latter are appointed to positions that provide a certain freedom, the productivity of both will increase significantly.

The main point of this principle is that when choosing a method of motivation, one should rely on the personality of a person, and not automatically use the same methods for all employees. Therefore, even after familiarizing yourself with the wrong use of motivation or the principles on which the right approach is built, the personality of a particular employee should be taken into account.

Motivation mistakes that can kill business

It lies in the fact that the manager does not want to admit the fact: the success of the company depends not only on the knowledge and experience of employees, but also on their desire to perform the assigned work.

This is especially important in the sphere of services, in which much depends on the level of interaction between the employee and the client. No instructions can foresee situations that arise during personal communication, and it is impossible to force a person to work in the service or service sector with high quality if he himself does not have such a desire.

Personnel acting strictly according to the instructions, unwilling to take responsibility and take the initiative, will inevitably lead the company to the loss of the client and, accordingly, profit. There is no way to force a person to be proactive, he must really want it. And this can only help the right motivation.

Even professional psychologists are confused about the definition of the terms motivation and motive. In general terms, we can say that the right motivation is the actions of the management, thanks to which the team has a desire not only to do their job, but to get a certain effective result.

Most managers transfer their own perceptions to employees, therefore they consider what seems right to them to be sufficient for motivation.

For example, a boss may think that a high salary is sufficient reason for employees to follow his instructions. At the same time, he will be sure that the person will try "from the heart" in order to keep workplaceto climb career ladder or increase your earnings. That is, the employee will be subject to motives that seem to be sufficient for himself. At the same time, a situation is quite acceptable when a person is satisfied with the amount he earns, but absolutely cannot bear the situation in the team or the attitude of his superiors towards him.

Wrong motivation not taking into account specific situation, will act the other way around, destroy loyalty to the company and destroy initiative. The result is a loss of efficiency, a loss of competitiveness and a decline in profits.

The monetary incentive should be present in the personnel motivation system, but it should not be put in the first place. Low salaries may well cause hatred for what a person does. But in back side this rule does not work.

Another reason the monetary incentive isn't decisive for employees to strive for greater efficiency is addiction. An increase in salary is capable of evoking positive emotions only at the first stage, but after a short time such earnings become habitual and no longer seem sufficient (“there is never a lot of money”).

It is necessary to use such incentives, but it should be understood that an increase in their own income is also perceived by a person as a recognition of his achievements.

It is especially important to take into account the fact that material incentives do not become a guarantee of employee loyalty, in cases with highly paid specialists. A person who knows that he can always find a place to apply his own knowledge is impossible to keep only with money - he should enjoy working in a specific place.

Workers who are primarily focused on getting more earnings should see the connection between remuneration and performance. And that part of the staff, whose need for money is lower, always attaches more importance to the conditions for self-realization, the ability to communicate with other people, the work process itself or the good attitude of the bosses. However, using them without a fair monetary valuation of labor becomes a demotivating factor that will also lower productivity.

It is the leader who makes decisions that affect motivation: determines wages, working conditions, timing of tasks and their distribution, etc. Therefore, almost any decision of the head, one way or another, is associated with the motivation (or demotivation) of employees. Therefore, such decisions, both in the form of rewards and as punishments, should take into account how much they affect the motivation of staff.

The opposite situation is in which the management does not want to hear about motivating employees. Such a leader, knowing that “employees need to be motivated,” perceives this as an unpleasant but necessary duty. As a result, it is easier for him to motivate people "by contradiction" - punishments and threats. The result is exactly the opposite - such actions create a tense atmosphere, and not for one person, but for the entire team.

This is not all, but some of the main mistakes related to staff motivation, which you should definitely remember.

Principles and types of motivation

The effect of staff motivation can be obtained only if certain incentive principles are observed:

setting clear and understandable tasks and goals (employees must know exactly what tasks are set for him and what goals they must achieve);
reward and goals must be linked (a person needs to know what he will get from effective work);
the possibility of feedback and publicity (the employee must be sure that his success will be supported, and he himself can address questions to the management);
knowledge of motivation tools used in other enterprises, especially those of competitors;
understanding employee expectations;
the optimal combination of material and moral types of motivation;
taking into account the personality of the employee when using stimulating methods (what is necessary for one is not needed for another);
if possible, the use of positive rather than negative methods (despite the fact that the possibility of punishment can affect the improvement of performance, the constant use of this method worsens the general situation and climate in the team).

Incentive instruments can be divided into several types:

material cash - an increase or appointment of high (when hiring) wages, bonuses, bonuses, percentages of the result, commissions, etc .;
tangible non-monetary - incentives or rewards that can be estimated in money, but received by the employee in “kind” (vouchers, certificates, provided housing or transport, etc.);
non-monetary - incentives that emphasize both the attitude of the management to the employee and the assessment of his activities, as well as work to unite the team.

It is generally accepted that one of the most effective motivating systems of monetary motivation is KPI, which takes into account the effectiveness of employees' activities in terms of key indicators. In reality, the real picture is different.

Domestic business uses the KPI as something similar to the system that existed under socialist planning: each worker receives a certain task for a period, and the result of its implementation affects wages. However, leadership often raises the “quota” next month, which is harder to meet. This leads to a deterioration in the attitude to work. In the case when the KPI is not fulfilled, the employee does not receive part of the money, therefore he strives to complete the task, but also develops a negative attitude towards the perception of his activities. As a result, such a system becomes a means of forcing staff to bring large profits, which has nothing to do with real motivation.

And intangible incentives, which include:

holding general corporate events;
individual work schedule (the possibility of remote work, separate days off if necessary, weekends on birthdays, etc.);
creating a favorable atmosphere;
public positive assessment of the achievements of an employee or team.

As a conclusion, we can say that the introduction of a motivation system that observes the listed principles may well lead to an improvement overall indicators efficiency of the whole company. However, this is only possible if personal qualities each employee. To do this, you need to understand what may interest each employee. This stage may seem difficult, lengthy and inconvenient, but it can bring the best results and increase the competitiveness (and therefore profit) of any commercial structure.

Motivation is a very powerful tool in the right hands. Sometimes it is very easy for a person to motivate himself, and he remains inspired for a long time. But at times it is very difficult to do this, and he slowly begins to tighten the "swamp" of procrastination and apathy. In this article, you will find several effective ways and helpful research on staying motivated for a long time.

1. What is motivation and how does it work

Scientists define motivation as an incentive to do something. In other words, it is a set of psychophysiological processes that induce a person to perform specific action... However, there is another definition of motivation.

What is motivation?

So what is motivation? This concept is best explored in the book by Stephen Pressfield "The War for Creativity". He writes: "At some point, doing nothing begins to cause a person more discomfort than doing activities."

In other words, it is sometimes easier to do something than to do nothing. It's easier to gather strength and go to the gym than to keep lying on the couch and getting fat. It's easier to get over your embarrassment and call your prospect than to lose your bonus due to a failed sales plan.

Each of our choices has its own "price", but it is better to feel inconvenience from any activity than to regret later that you did nothing. However, to get down to business, you need to cross a certain line that separates the zone of procrastination from the zone of active action. This often happens when we are nearing a deadline.

This raises a very important question: what can we do to overcome this line and remain constantly motivated?

Common misconceptions about motivation

The amazing thing is that motivation usually occurs after you do something unusual, not before. Many people have the misconception that it is enough to read a motivational book or watch an inspiring video to get inspired for an activity. However, so-called "active" inspiration can be a more powerful stimulus to action.

Motivation is usually the result of an activity, not the cause. As soon as you start doing something, you will naturally develop inspiration and you can complete what you started.

Thus, in order to motivate yourself to perform an action, you just need to start doing it. Below is a discussion of how to apply this advice in real life.

2. How to motivate yourself and start doing something

Many people try their best to motivate themselves to achieve certain goals. Without motivation, we spend too much time and energy on taking actions that lead us to the desired result.

According to the writer Sarah Peck, many aspiring authors cannot complete their works because they cannot answer the question of when they will sit down to work next time. The same goes for training in sports hall, business, art, etc. For example, if you do not have a workout schedule, then every day you will wake up with the thought: "I will go to the gym today if I am in the mood."

It seems that scheduling is a very simple step. However, it will help you organize and organize your activities. Usually, people try to stick to a schedule despite a lack of desire and motivation. A lot of research confirms this fact.

Stop waiting for inspiration to come and just have a clear timetable to follow. This is the main difference between professionals and amateurs. Lovers are waiting for inspiration, but they start to act.

What is the secret of famous artists? How do they manage to stay constantly motivated? They do not just schedule activities, but develop rituals.

The famous dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp spoke about her daily ritual in an interview. Every day she gets up at 5:30 am, puts on her workout clothes and leaves the apartment. Then the girl hails a taxi and tells the driver to take her to the gym, where she works out for two hours. The ritual is not about training, but about the trip itself. As soon as Twyla tells the driver where to go, the ritual is over.

This seems to be a very simple action. However, if you repeat the same thing every morning, it will soon become a habit. And as soon as the action becomes habitual, it will be easier for you to perform it regularly, because we do not think about routine everyday actions, but simply do them “automatically”.

Many famous people developed their own rituals. Much has been written about this in Mason Curry's book “Genius Mode. The daily routine of great people. "

The key to any ritual is that you don't have to make any decisions about what to do first and what to do next. Many people cannot be successful because they cannot start doing something. If you can turn your activity into a familiar ritual, then it will not be difficult for you to finish what you started, even if difficult tasks arise on your way.

How to develop a motivating habit

By following three simple steps, you can build your own ritual and turn motivation into a habit.

Step # 1. Any ritual should begin with some very simple action. For example, you can have a glass of water before you sit down to write a novel. Or you can put on your favorite sneakers before heading off to your workout. These actions are so simple that it is impossible to refuse to perform them.

Step # 2. You have to force yourself to move. Lack of motivation is often associated with a lack of physical activity. Think back to your physical condition when you are bored or sad. You don't make any active movements, do you? At times like these, most people just sit on the couch and stare at one point. In this case, the opposite is true: if you are physically active, your brain also begins to work more actively. For example, when you dance, it is simply impossible not to feel energized and revitalized. Being physically active doesn't always mean doing any kind of exercise. For example, if your goal is to write a novel, then this activity should be directed towards writing.

Step # 3. It is necessary to adhere to the same action plan every day. Their primary purpose is to motivate you to do certain activities. As a result, you don't have to wait for inspiration. Instead, you just start with your usual ritual, and then smoothly move on to the main action.

3. How to stay motivated for a long time

Strategies mentioned above to help motivate yourself and get started on a task. But what about staying motivated for a long time? How to stay motivated?

Imagine you are playing tennis. If you choose a four-year-old girl as your opponent, then the game will quickly bore you, since the victory will be too easy. Conversely, if you play, for example, against Serena Williams, the constant defeat will quickly demotivate you. Such an opponent will be too tough for you. You will be interested in the game if the opponent has equal ability. You will have a chance to win if you put in the effort. Thus, challenging yet achievable tasks help us stay motivated.

People enjoy challenging tasks. But the level of difficulty should be optimal for a particular person. Too complex tasks demotivate us, while too simple tasks quickly get bored.

At this moment, a person experiences a special state of emotional uplift. Athletes commonly refer to this as "hitting." At this moment, a person is so focused on performing a specific task that the whole world around him fades.

To achieve this state, you must follow the rule described in the previous section. Choosing the best challenge for yourself will not only keep you motivated for the long term, but you will also feel happy after completing it. As psychologist Gilbert Brim said: "One of the important sources of human happiness lies in completing tasks of the right level of difficulty."

However, in order to reach the peak of motivation, you still need to constantly measure your current progress. In other words, it is important that you get feedback at every stage of the task. Assessing your own progress is a key factor in maintaining a state of motivation.

What to do if you start to lose motivation

The motivation to perform an action will inevitably begin to fade at a certain point in time. In such cases, you can use the tips below.

1. Your brain is a source of valuable suggestions

Imagine that every thought that pops into your head is a proposal, not an order. For example, when an author writes an article, the thought occurs to him that he is tired. From this follows the proposal to leave the job, choose the path of least resistance and surrender.

Just remember that none of these suggestions are guidelines for action. These are just options, and you have the option to choose one of them.

2. Discomfort is temporary.

Almost any action you take will end very soon. For example, your workout only lasts an hour or two. Your report will be ready by tomorrow morning.

Life is much easier now than it used to be. Even 300 years ago, if you did not grow your own food and did not build a house, then you are doomed to death. And today a tragedy for a person is the fact that he left a charger for his phone at home.

Thus, be aware of the future prospects. Life is great, and any discomfort is temporary.

You will never regret doing a job well.

Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Without question, the best reward that life can give you is worthwhile work". We all want our work to be useful to people, and they respect our work. However, we do not want our attempts to be in vain. Everyone wants to be rewarded, not tough, repetitive work. Anyone wants to win a gold medal, but few want to train as hard as the members of the Olympic team. So, remember that the reward is well worth the effort of getting it.

That's life

In life, we constantly balance between the desire to distance ourselves from everything and self-discipline. Life is a collection of hundreds of thousands of small decisions about whether to fight or give up.

Don't underestimate the moments when you don't feel like doing anything. Spend this time so that you can be proud of yourself.

Exercise is known to improve health, well-being and prolong life. There is an opinion that properly selected physical activity helps not only to get in excellent shape, but also to cope with depression, blues. Unfortunately, for various reasons, not everyone can go to the gym. In this case, training can be organized at home. Doesn't it work again? So it's all about lack of motivation.

Most people have tried to start a new life at least once on Monday or next month. For example, do exercises in the morning, go jogging, eat right, quit, finally, smoking, etc. But there are often cases when, with the beginning of a new week, all aspirations are postponed for later or are simply forgotten. According to psychologists, the reason lies not only in laziness or lack of willpower, but also in the wrong approach to the tasks.

Good motivation is the key to continued success. It's no secret that any victory begins with a victory over oneself, one's laziness, and fears. In order to start moving forward, you need to set priorities, analyze your capabilities and change your attitude to the problem. First of all, it is important to understand what you want to get from a healthy lifestyle and sports in particular: good mood and self-confidence, slimness and health, the desire to please others, etc. After that, you need to choose the most suitable type of fitness that will help you achieve your goal. Someone prefers a pool, someone likes strength or dynamic workouts, there are those who like dancing, stretching, yoga, running, regular walking. The main thing is that classes bring not only benefits, but also pleasure and enjoyment. It is also important to tune in to the gradual achievement of the goal, it will eventually give a lasting result and become a habit, rather than methods that lead to rapid change.

An incentive for regular physical activity can be, for example, training with like-minded people and friends, a public promise to start leading a healthy lifestyle. So in the future it will be more difficult to abandon the goal and give up what you started. Some people are motivated by real stories those who have changed themselves and their lives in better side, photos of slender and cheerful girls, guys from fashion magazines, aphorisms and statuses pasted in a prominent place, which give confidence in working on oneself.

A good motivation will be the fact that fitness helps to rejuvenate the body and prevents premature aging. It helps to strengthen the immune system, normalize blood pressure, improve the functioning of the digestive system, maintain joint mobility, relieve headaches, insomnia, etc.

Effective ways on the path to a healthy lifestyle

When you want to achieve something, it is important to set specific goals. For example, aiming to get rid of excess weight, decide how many kilograms you want to lose weight. Summarize the results once a week and even if, in your opinion, they are insignificant, record them in a special diary and compare your progress with previous ones. Positive results, changes in appearance are also good motivation, since progress increases the effectiveness of classes by several percent.

A similar method can be used by those who seek to pump up or tighten their body, for this, measure and record the volume of arms, legs, waist, hips weekly.

Insofar as human body tends to get used to physical activity, then over time the results become less tangible. The so-called plateau or stagnation effect sets in. In this regard, it is necessary to gradually complicate the exercises or alternate different kinds workouts: stretching, cardio, strength.

Fitness instructors advise against setting several tasks at once, otherwise it will turn out like chasing two birds with one stone. Lack of achievement can discourage the desire for further studies. Only after achieving a weight loss to the required level, you can take on the formation of a figure.

Many people blame a busy work schedule, a large volume of household chores and a lack of free time for their failures. However, according to famous artists, whose life is associated with constant tours and filming, you can always allocate 40-60 minutes for good purposes. You don't have to go to a fitness club to do this, although group workouts and the money spent on the membership are sufficient motivation, but you can still do most of the exercises at home. Morning jogging or breathing exercises can charge you with energy and vigor for the whole day, sports in the evening allow you to escape from workdays and problems. Alternatively, simulator training can be used.

Having decided on the nature of home fitness, be sure to draw up a schedule according to which you plan to exercise and cross out each workout you have done. Of course, it will be much more difficult to maintain discipline in this case, you will need willpower and a desire to change your life for the better. But after a few weeks, a healthy lifestyle will become firmly established in the habit.

Failure stimulates and builds character

The lack of the expected result is not a reason to give up. For some people, failure is an additional incentive to work on themselves. According to psychologists, you need to be mentally prepared for such a turn. It is known that the correct reaction to mistakes or mistakes makes us stronger and more persistent in achieving our goals. In case of a bad experience, it is worth revising the training and nutrition plan. Other physical activity may be required. Also, the regularity of classes plays a significant role. Healthy way life does not mean daily hours of fitness. It is enough to study for one hour three to four times a week to get tangible fruits of your labor and to confirm the simple truth that new life begins not at all from Monday, but from our consciousness and motivation.

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