If you want to stay motivated for good, then start with a challenge that is just manageable, measure your progress and repeat the process. Measure your progress and receive immediate feedback whenever possible.Stick to The Goldilocks Rule and work on tasks of just manageable difficulty.
#Goldilocks rule how to#
If we want to break down the mystery of how to stay motivated for the long-term, we could simply say: Regardless of how it is measured, the human brain needs some way to visualize our progress if we are to maintain motivation. In tennis, you get immediate feedback based on whether or not you win the point. In other areas of life, measurement looks different but is just as critical for achieving a blend of motivation and happiness. The rush of positive feedback Martin experienced from one great joke would probably be enough to overpower his fears and inspire him to work for weeks. Imagine how addicting it would be to create a roar of laughter. Steve Martin would tell a joke and immediately know if it worked based on the laughter of the crowd. Seeing yourself make progress in the moment is incredibly motivating. As psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains, one of the keys to reaching a flow state is that "you get immediate feedback about how you are doing at each step." In order to reach this state of peak performance, however, you not only need to work on challenges at the right degree of difficulty, but also measure your immediate progress. This blend of happiness and peak performance is sometimes referred to as flow, which is what athletes and performers experience when they are "in the zone." Flow is the mental state you experience when you are so focused on the task at hand that the rest of the world fades away. Related: How to Determine the Correct Things to Focus On As psychologist Gilbert Brim put it, "One of the important sources of human happiness is working on tasks at a suitable level of difficulty, neither too hard nor too easy." Working on challenges of an optimal level of difficulty has been found to not only be motivating, but also to be a major source of happiness. It has to do with achieving that perfect blend of hard work and happiness. If you want to learn how to stay motivated to reach your goals, then there is a second piece of the motivation puzzle that is crucial to understand. There were just enough victories to keep him motivated and just enough mistakes to keep him working hard. He was always adding new material, but he also kept a few jokes that were guaranteed to get laughs. Each year, the length of his comedy routines expanded, but only by a minute or two. Martin's comedy career was a perfect example of what The Goldilocks Rule looks like in the real world. The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. We can call this phenomenon The Goldilocks Rule. We want nothing more than to master a skill just beyond our current horizon. But tasks that are right on the border of success and failure are incredibly motivating to our human brains. Tasks that are significantly beyond your current abilities are discouraging. Tasks that are significantly below your current abilities are boring. Tasks like these, science has found, are the most likely to keep us motivated in the long term. The challenge you are facing is "just manageable." Victory is not guaranteed, but it is possible. Your focus narrows, distractions fade away and you find yourself fully invested in the task at hand. You have a chance of winning the match, but only if you really try. As the game progresses, you win a few points and you lose a few points. The match is too difficult.Ĭompare these experiences to playing tennis against someone who is your equal.
#Goldilocks rule professional#
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you try to play a serious match against a professional tennis player like Roger Federer or Serena Williams, you will find yourself demotivated for a different reason. If you try to play a serious match against a four-year-old, you will quickly become bored. Human beings love challenges, but only if they are within the optimal zone of difficulty.įor example, imagine you are playing tennis. While there is still much to learn, one of the most consistent findings is that perhaps the best way to stay motivated is to work on tasks of "just manageable difficulty." The Goldilocks Rule Scientists have been studying motivation for decades. Related: The Reason We Don't Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do Why do we stay motivated to reach some goals, but not others? Why do we say we want something, but give up on it after a few days? What is the difference between the areas where we naturally stay motivated and those where we give up?
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