Topic - Maintaining motivation
You’ve got all kinds of motivation as you start a project, but then, you slog down as you work through it and as you reach the finish line, you gear up again. What’s going on with that? In the early stages of a task, your drive comes from ambition, hope and positive thoughts known as “promotional motivation”. Then, as you’re slogging along, you experience “preventional motivation” which is the switch from imagining a positive outcome to avoiding a negative one. The fear factor. Finally, as you reach the goal, feelings of relief set in and you’re able to complete it. We’re great at starting goals, but not at completing them. Consider the kinds of motivation you’ll experience and prepare to deal with them. A task analysis approach might help. Break the job down in small parts, set reasonable time lines and refine as you move along. It’s so satisfying!
