Human motivation experts like Deci have long studied the impact on individuals of external rewards or controls as compared with that of self-motivation. Some of the findings include:
When self-motivated in doing something, people typically embrace it with a sense of interest and commitment. This emanates from their true sense of self, so they are being authentic. In this mode, they typically thrive.
When externally motivated or “controlled”, and consequently acting without a sense of self-motivation, people can reasonably feel alienated and much less effective.
Self-motivation and your Freedom Hours
Our earlier blog “Finding and leveraging Freedom Hours, even in the fast lane” introduced our concept of Freedom Hours and highlighted three big levers which can impact your life’s trajectory:
increasing your Freedom Hours,
using them well and
making each of 1. and 2. enduring habits.
Freedom Hours present the perfect opportunity for self-motivated activities and consequently can be the most valuable in generating the creativity, responsibility, healthy behaviour and lasting change Deci refers to in the quotation above. Hence a Freedom Hour is potentially much more valuable than a “controlled” hour. Your Freedom Hours also present a big challenge because their value depends totally on what you decide to do with them.
At the heart of all three big levers is self-motivation because:
typically, nobody else is going to find you more Freedom Hours (unless they fire you from a job or take away some other responsibility or expectation);
nobody else is going to tell you what to do with your Freedom Hours (the moment they do, those hours are no longer Freedom Hours); and
most of all, nobody else is going to change your habits – that’s totally in your court.
With these multiple dimensions of leverage, Freedom Hours can be major determinants of your life’s trajectory. And so much of it depends on your self-motivation and self-discipline.
And what about the inevitable “controlled” hours?
The concept of “control” can have many faces, like:
having to comply with rules, instructions or others’ timetables and priorities,
being micromanaged,
deadlines and evaluations
incentives ranging from gold stars at school or home to financial rewards contingent on performance of a work task,
an excessively competitive environment,
peer or social pressure and being overly concerned with what others think
It’s inevitable that we’re controlled or lack autonomy in some of our activities – probably in the majority of them as we take on further work, family, financial and social commitments. Even someone who chooses to run their own business finds that its success depends on them being responsive to others’ needs and timetables. Some constraints on our autonomy are important in a well-functioning relationship, family, organisation or community – so they are inevitable.
Increasing your self-motivation in “controlled” hours
Even in these inevitable “controlled” hours you can take steps to increase your own autonomy and self-motivation. And conversely, when you’re the one leading someone else, you can take steps to increase their autonomy and self-motivation.
There are many tools or strategies to help this quest for greater self-motivation – most depending on a healthy balance between some necessary control or direction and sufficient autonomy and buy-in.
The most effective strategies will vary widely between individuals and relationships but some opportunities include:
limits being set as wide as possible,
being given a choice (and the relevant information to make an informed choice)
a healthy relationship between your competence and the challenges of the task
focusing on the journey and learning as much as the outcome
being involved and listened to when the path forward is being considered or decisions are being made
incentives and praise being communicated in a non-controlling way (eg “you’ve done very well” as compared with “you’ve lived up to expectations” or “you’re doing as you should”)
competition but without a “winning is everything” mindset
And you’ll inevitably get exactly the opposite outcomes from spoon-feeding, highly prescriptive behaviour, micro-management or external discipline. So if you see benefit in increasing your and others’ self-motivation:
Ask yourself:
Do I place enough importance or value on my autonomy and self-motivation?
In which activities or responsibilities do I feel both competent and autonomous? Which of my activities interest me so much that the joy of the task is its own reward? Am I motivated to increase my Freedom Hours so I can devote more time to these rewarding activities?
Am I motivated to use some of my Freedom Hours differently? What other activities may give me great joy? How can I best experiment with them? Who could help me do so?
In some contexts do I care too much about what others think? Is it affecting my self-motivation in contexts important to me? How can I change that?
Are organisations or people offering me rewards for investing my time, energy and attention in the direction of their goals (including their goals for me) but inconsistent with my own? Does that affect my self-motivation? What should I change or suggest someone else changes to increase my self-motivation?
Do I empathise enough with others’ needs for autonomy and respect the value of their self-motivation?
In roles where I am leading others (eg as boss, project leader, parent or teacher) or collaborating with others (eg partner, sibling), am I supporting their autonomy and self-motivation? Conversely, what am I doing that is “controlling” them and risks diminishing their self-motivation? What should I change?
