Life of Matt

One great tool I’ve been using recently to maintain motivation is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  For those of you who don’t know what Maslow’s Hierarchy is, it’s a theory of human motivation.  Maslow theorized that humans have basic psychological needs which they are driven to fulfill, and that there’s a basic to hierarchy to different types of needs;  if certain needs aren’t met, they take precedence over the other needs.  The most basic needs are physiological needs like food, water, and sex.  The highest needs are moral and spiritual.

So how does this relate to accomplishing my goals?

Here’s an interesting thing you’ll notice if you take a look at your long term goals… they all exist to help you achieve some sort of need from Maslow’s Hierarchy.  Here’s another interesting thing you’ll notice about your longterm goals… none of them exist exclusively to fulfill the bottom level of Maslow’s Hierarchy (unless you’re in a life and death situation for some reason), and in fact, you probably have a few goals which exist solely to fulfill the top two or three need groups.

So here’s the brilliant and counter-intuitive insight that Maslow’s Hierarchy gives us.  If we’re having trouble being motivated to accomplish a specific goal, the solution is NOT to direct more focus to that goal; the solution is to direct our focus to a need that is unfulfilled lower on the pyramid.

Okay, but how do I use it?

The first thing you have to do is determine what the lower need is that isn’t being fulfilled.  If it’s something pervasive like being unemployed (Safety) or sick (Physiological), you’ll probably already know about it and be dealing with it.  What may not be so obvious is some of the smaller day to day things that fulfill your needs.  Have you done some form of physical activity today, or been completely sedentary (Physiological)?  Have you spent quality time today with someone you love and trust, or merely exchanged pleasantries (Love/Belonging)? Is your environment well lit with plenty of space, or is it dark and enclosed (Safety)?  These are the types of day to day needs you want to be looking out for, and the longer you go without addressing them, the harder it’s going to be to focus in your goals.

Once you’ve identified the lower need that hasn’t been fulfilled, you have two options:

Option 1: Fulfill the Need

The first option is relatively simple and straightforward… fulfill the need.  Go have a quick workout so your body can release pent up energy, spend some time with your significant other or best friend, rearrange your space so it feels safer.  If you find that you consistently forget to do a specific thing such as being social or being active, you may want to schedule it into your day or week.  However you decide to do it, with the need fulfilled, you’re free to move up the pyramid and focus on your goal.

Option 2: Link the Needs Together

Sometimes however, immediate fulfillment of the need just isn’t possible.  Maybe you really need to get this project done in the next hour but you haven’t had a conversation all day. Or you’re stuck in your cubicle for the next three hours but you really need a breath of fresh air.  To solve these sorts of issues, you’re going to use the same sorts of technique I imagine marathon runners use to put their esteem needs before their physiological needs when they’ve run 20 miles and they hit “the wall”, or hunger strikers use when they put their self-actualization needs before their physiological needs.

The trick here is to link the higher need to the lower need by treating the lower need as a reward.  The really neat psychological phenomenon that happens here is that by linking the higher need to the lower need in this way, all your drive to fulfill the lower need gets transferred to the higher need.

For instance, the thought process of the hunger striker might look something like this:

When I get freedom, Then I’ll let myself eat.

Therefore, More hunger = More resolve for freedom.

To bring it a little closer to home, let’s go back to the office worker example:

If I finish these 4 reports in the next three hours, Then I’ll treat myself to a nice long walk afterwards.

Therefore, More claustrophobia = More focused work.

Keep in mind that this technique won’t work forever… eventually you won’t be able to focus on much at all if a basic need goes unfulfilled for long periods of time.

What now?

Been having trouble staying motivated towards your goals?  Take a look at the pyramid above and see if maybe you’ve been missing a day to day need.  Then, schedule it into your day tomorrow.

If you don’t currently have any motivation problems, I want you to remember this article the next time you’re having a bit of trouble.  Instead of listening to a motivational tape, or envisioning success, or doing anything that causes you to focus MORE on the goal, take a minute and ask yourself: “Do I need to NOT focus on the goal for a bit? Is there a lower need I need to focus on that isn’t being fulfilled?”.  That one simple change will work wonders for your happiness, wellbeing, and motivation.

Until next time,

Matt