First things first

what IS performance?
What is work motivation
 Background of work motivation
Yep, I am 100% sure you have heard the term ”motivation”, but did you know this…
Even though motivation as a term is familiar to most of us, it’s important to recognize the
two main types of motivation that explains why we like to do some things and some
things we do only because we have to.
– Intrinsic motivation
• Intrinsic motivation is basically the satisfaction you get from your doings (e.g. the job you like,
skating, surfing, drawing…). It’s the most rewarding type of motivation and makes you happy
and satisfied.
– Extrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic motivation is motivation that is created by a third person or an entity. It can be e.g.
your monthly pay checks or bonuses you get when you have done outstandingly your job. This
motivation type is giving you motivational peaks but on the contrary, the good feeling doesn’t
last long.

Whether you are getting out of your bed or going to work you always need to have
motivation
At work we usually have mostly extrinsic motivation to keep us going, but if you can find
something profoundly interesting from your work, it helps you to develop your intrinsic
motivation and eventually makes you perform better. Performing better and being more
productive means success.
okay, that’s it…
Let’s get down to business!
daily habits are the key
 1. Make scheduled to-do lists
I know, most of us don’t like creating lists
In fact, To-Do lists as such are pretty useless because we all are lazy in nature and
therefore, we tend to postpone things we actually should be doing.

For this very reason …

During your morning coffee: Schedule your doings and organize more important activities
to be your top priority. Scheduling influences us in psychological level and makes us
automatically more punctual. Punctual people achieve goals easier and by achieving
goals people become happier.*

Not a fan of physical calendar? There are many awesome apps for smartphones to keep
your plans straight and scheduled. I use Any.do’s Cal, for instance.

*If you want to know more:

When getting things done, you feel yourself more diligent and that my friend, that brings punctuality and happiness.
Why? It’s been studied (Vroom) that achieving goals makes people happier. And here quantity wins quality. Achieving
frequently (daily) small goals increases your overall happiness dramatically.
 2. REWARD YOURSELF
Reward yourself when you get your daily goals done
Well, this should be loud and clear but still too many people forget to reward themselves.
It doesn’t have to be anything big, just something you enjoy doing (like watching your
favorite TV show or having a glass of wine).

Think it as ”I deserve this because I did the things I promised to do”

Like a good boss rewards his/her hard-working employees for the job well-done, you
should reward yourself when you have achieved your daily goals. It helps you to carry on
and to continue to perform well.

Treat yourself well and you will become happier. It really applies in all parts of life.
Treat employees bad and they will leave but by treating them well they tend to perform
better and achieve greater things. Nobody likes to be treated bad. Period.
 3. Write things down
Just before going to sleep, write three things you liked the best
It’s amazing how well this practice works. When you go to sleep, have a notebook next to
you and write down the three best things that happened to you today. It can be just a list
of three things that you liked the most (like ”my lunch was fantastic” or ”I had a great
chat with my colleague”).*

Write also one thing you are dreaming or waiting to happen

Write down simple things that you know are most likely to happen soon. These can be
like ”eagerly waiting to get a raise” or ”buying quality coffee tomorrow”.

Don’t like writing journals? Yeah, many people suck writing journals. Frankly, I am one
those anti-journal guys, too. But the thing is that this is nothing like ”dear diary” kind of
stuff. You just quickly write down a few lines you liked the most and that’s it! Besides,
after some years it’s pretty fun to read them again and remember all those good things
that happended to you.

*If you want to know more:

Writing down happy things just before sleep tunes you to happy mood. When you wake up next morning, you feel
surprisingly happy. Writing things about future help you to look into the future and remember that good things are
coming.
conclusion
 In order To become more productive
Understand what is needed to perform better
Without happiness, punctuality and integrity you can’t get the best out of you. To get
there you need to understand how motivation works and how important it is to keep
yourself happy.

Make the following habits to be a part of your everyday life

Habits may seem boring but the fact is that life without habits is life without direction.
The following habits are helping you to improve yourself and keep you active and happy
every day.

1. Schedule your day

To-Do lists are usually ineffective, but when you schedule your to-do’s, they
start to improve your punctuality.
2. Reward yourself
Without rewards life looses it’s colors. If you have reached your daily goals,
reward yourself without any feelings of remorse.
3. Write happy things down
Writing down happy things just before sleep tunes you to happy mood. When
you wake up next morning, you feel surprisingly happy.
 That’s about it
If you liked these thoughts, why not to follow me on Twitter. There we can talk
more about things that keep us motivated.

www.twitter.com/MikaelTalk
mikaeltalk@gmail.com

About the author: Mikael has been researching and studying work motivation and how motivated
employees make companies to perform better, for several years. Mikael has also been part of various
startup projects where he’s been sharing thoughts about how to build an effective company. Currently he
is a CEO of a branding agency and is writing a book about motivation.