Motivation

Evidence-based motivation practices.

15 concepts in this area — each broken into concrete practices with the real mechanism, an honest read on the evidence, and how to practice it with IX Coach.

• Approach vs Avoidance Goals — What is the difference between approach and avoidance goals, and which kind works better?
• Drive: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose — What is Daniel Pink’s Drive about and how do you apply autonomy, mastery, and purpose?
• Expectancy-Value Theory: Why You Try (or Don’t) — Why do people pursue some goals energetically and avoid others even when they care about the outcome?
• Fresh Start Framing: Engineering Your Own Clean Slate — How do you use fresh start framing to restart goals after setbacks or failures?
• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: What the Research Actually Shows — What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and when do rewards backfire?
• Passion vs Interest: How to Actually Find Work You Love — Should you "follow your passion" or develop your interests — and what does the research say?
• Psychological Reactance: Working With the Push-Back Reflex — What is psychological reactance and how do you reduce resistance when motivating yourself or others?
• Regulatory Focus Theory: Promotion vs Prevention Thinking — What is the difference between promotion focus and prevention focus, and how does it affect motivation?
• Reward Prediction Error: Using Dopamine Science to Stay Motivated — How does dopamine actually drive motivation, and how can you use reward prediction error to your advantage?
• Self-Determination Theory, Made Usable — What is Self-Determination Theory and how do you use it to stay motivated?
• Self-Expansion Model: How Relationships Grow (and Stagnate) Us — Why do close relationships feel exciting at first and how do you sustain that over time?
• The Goal Gradient Effect: Why Getting Closer Makes You Faster — What is the goal gradient effect and how do you use it to sustain motivation?
• The Overjustification Effect: When Rewards Kill Motivation — What is the overjustification effect and how do you avoid destroying intrinsic motivation with rewards?
• The Progress Principle: Why Small Wins Fuel Motivation — What is the progress principle and how do small wins affect motivation at work?
• The Zeigarnik Effect: Using Task Tension to Stay Motivated — What is the Zeigarnik effect, and how can you use task tension to drive motivation?