What motivates you to complete tasks and meet deadlines?

1 Your Goals

One of the main drivers of motivation is having clear and meaningful goals. Goals help you to define what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, and how you will measure your progress. They also help you to prioritize your tasks, plan your actions, and track your results. To set effective goals, you should use the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying "I want to write a book", you could say "I want to write a 50,000-word novel in the genre of fantasy by the end of the year".

2 Your Values

Another factor that affects your motivation is your values. Values are the principles and beliefs that guide your decisions and actions. They reflect what matters to you, what you stand for, and what you aspire to. When your tasks and deadlines align with your values, you are more likely to feel motivated, engaged, and fulfilled. For example, if you value creativity, you might enjoy working on a project that allows you to express your ideas and talents. On the other hand, if you value security, you might be motivated by a deadline that ensures your income and stability.

3 Your Rewards

A third factor that influences your motivation is your rewards. Rewards are the benefits and outcomes that you expect or receive from completing your tasks and meeting your deadlines. They can be intrinsic or extrinsic, depending on whether they come from within yourself or from external sources. Intrinsic rewards are the feelings of satisfaction, enjoyment, and accomplishment that you get from doing something well or challenging yourself. Extrinsic rewards are the tangible or intangible incentives that you get from others, such as money, recognition, praise, or feedback. Both types of rewards can boost your motivation, but intrinsic rewards tend to be more lasting and meaningful.

4 Your Challenges

A fourth factor that impacts your motivation is your challenges. Challenges are the difficulties and obstacles that you face or anticipate when working on your tasks and meeting your deadlines. They can be internal or external, depending on whether they originate from yourself or from your environment. Internal challenges include your self-doubt, fear, boredom, or distraction. External challenges include your competition, expectations, resources, or constraints. While challenges can hinder your motivation, they can also enhance it if you see them as opportunities to learn, grow, and overcome.

5 Your Habits

A fifth factor that affects your motivation is your habits. Habits are the routines and patterns that you follow or repeat regularly. They can be positive or negative, depending on whether they support or sabotage your tasks and deadlines. Positive habits include setting a schedule, breaking down your tasks, managing your energy, avoiding distractions, and celebrating your achievements. Negative habits include procrastinating, multitasking, overcommitting, neglecting your health, and criticizing yourself. To improve your motivation, you should try to cultivate positive habits and eliminate negative habits.

6 Your Support

A sixth factor that influences your motivation is your support. Support is the help and encouragement that you get or give to others who are working on similar or related tasks and deadlines. It can come from your friends, family, colleagues, mentors, or coaches. Support can provide you with guidance, feedback, accountability, recognition, or inspiration. It can also help you to cope with stress, frustration, or failure. To increase your motivation, you should seek out and offer support to others who share your goals, values, and challenges.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?