How do rewards motivate us?

How do rewards motivate us? I have just watched a very interesting TED talk by Dan Pink. In it he shows that science has proven that financial incentives actually block creativity. Rewards narrow our focus, which is fine for straightforward tasks, but is counterproductive for problem-solving situations. In these scenarios, larger rewards led to poorer performance.

If we want to create a high-performance culture, we need to incentivise people with intrinsic, rather than extrinsic rewards. The three areas to focus on are autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Autonomy involves people feeling in control of their lives. Mastery involves people getting better at something that matters to them. Purpose involves people being able to be part of something meaningful.

When employers focus on autonomy, mastery and purpose, it leads to increased productivity and satisfaction, and reduced turnover. It sounds like a much better way to incentivise people to me!

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 305 days to go!

Why not check in on a regular basis to see how I am progressing, and what I have discovered?