Motivation Map
Do you feel like you have projects that you just aren’t motivated to do?
If so, you are just like the rest of us.
Some things are fun and natural while others seem forced. I believe understanding our personal motivations can help provide the right incentive to do those things we keep putting off.
Below is the Motivation Matrix™, my framework for getting things done. Each of us is motivated by different things and our motivations can shift based on the situation. Yet, in all cases, these 9 strategies below can help us find the right solution for the current project.
Example – Closet Cleaning Motivation
We all have closets. So, this is a good category to show the Motivation Matrix at work. Read how each of the 9 motivations could be used and think about the strategies that resonate with you.
REWARDS: Turn clutter into cash. Knowing you could make money might be enough to get you started. Pick out the things worth selling and decide what you’ll do with the money. Suddenly those unworn jeans turn into a dinner out.
RECOGNITION: Make your progress visible. Sometimes it feels better when someone else notices what you’ve accomplished. Send the before-and-after to a friend. Show your partner the three bags headed out the door. Let someone admire the transformation. A little acknowledgment might be the motivation you need to finish.
EXPERIENCE: Make it fun. If spending four hours sorting clothes sounds miserable, change up the environment. Put on the playlist. Get your favorite coffee. Call a friend. Give yourself two hours instead of an entire day. Making the experience an “event” could change your willingness to start.
IDENTITY: Build a closet for who you are now. Look at your clothes and ask the question: “Does this feel like the person I am today?” Your life changes. Your work changes. Your body changes. Your style changes. Your closet doesn’t always keep up. Look at the clearing as an opportunity to make the space feel like who you are today.
IMAGE: Build the wardrobe you want others to see. What do you want your clothes to communicate about you? Polished? Creative? Confident? Approachable? Adventurous? Instead of focusing on what you’re getting rid of, keep what helps you show up the way you want to be seen.
AFFILIATION: Organize for the life you actually live. Work. Travel. Pickleball. Dinner with friends. Volunteering. Weekends at home. Your closet supports all the different places you go and people you spend time with. Look at what you own through the lens of the communities and activities that are currently part of your life.
MASTERY: Solve the closet. Maybe the mess itself isn’t interesting, but the puzzle is. What’s the smartest way to use the available space? What should be folded versus hung? What system would keep complete disorganization from happening again? Move from cleaning to system creation.
INFLUENCE: Make your cleanout contagious. Take the before picture because you know you’re going to want the after. Share your progress. Challenge a sibling or best friend to clean theirs at the same time. Pass along your organizing tricks. Sometimes knowing our action might inspire someone else gives us the extra push to do it.
BELONGING: Give your things a next life. Maybe getting rid of perfectly good clothes feels wasteful. So don’t focus on getting rid of them. Focus on where they’re going. Find an organization you care about. Give professional clothes to someone building a work wardrobe. Pass children’s clothes to another family. Knowing your things will matter to someone else may make it much easier to let them go.
Which One Made You Want to Start?
That’s the question.
You probably read some of those and thought, Eh. But hopefully one or two made you think:
“Okay. THAT might actually get me to clean my closet.”
That’s your closet motivation.
And that could be a clue to which boxes on the Motivation Matrix™ drive you. Knowing this will enable you to motivate yourself to make progress on any project you face.
Posts This Week
Project Season. As we head into the second most productive time of year (behind New Year energy), this post suggests slowing down before it starts and dreaming about what is possible.
Setting Intentions. This short post reminds us that setting goals and creating plans is only half the equation of actually meeting those goals.
How to Get Things Done. This post digs into the willpower needed to get projects completed. There are three elements that work together to help us accomplish our goals.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution. Continuing the theme of meeting goals, this post draws inspiration from Franklin Covey on how to help us stay focused and accountable.
Types of Serendipity. This post takes a different turn to explore how unexpected moments might lead to progress on projects that you never expected.
Podcasts That Caught My Attention
Why You Procrastinate—and How to Stop. 26 minutes. The Next Big Idea Club Daily. This episode reviews 2 books. First, Dr. Itamar Shatz shares highlights from his book Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop. Then, Jon Acuff provides insights from his latest book Procrastination Proof: Never Get Stuck Again.
Chronotypes, Sleep, and Productivity. 11 minutes. Optimal Finance Daily. In this episode, we hear about the four common chronotypes – bear, wolf, lion, and dolphin.
You Can Smash Your Goals with These 10 Principles. 12 minutes. Optimal Living Daily. This podcast highlights how 10 principles drive progress toward any big goal, no matter the category.
How to Set Your Freelance Rate. 10 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This episode breaks down what to charge when you have no idea where to start. Covering benchmarking, hourly wages, expenses, unpaid time, and more.
Dolly Parton is Burning Up, Not Burning Out. 29 minutes. TED Talks Daily. In a week of many posts and tributes to Dolly Parton, I found this interview with Adam Grant to be one worth sharing.
What Do You Think?
Do you think the Motivation Matrix could help find your motivation for a project this weekend?
When you consider how you get things done how you procrastinate, what stands out?
What ideas did the posts & podcasts spark that you could implement in the week ahead?
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