The Goldilocks Rule To Stay Motivated At Work And Life
Have you ever found it difficult to stay motivated while working on a certain task or improving a skill that would help you in your personal life? Here’s where the Goldilocks rule can raise your motivation and help you stay focused not only in work but in life as well. Let’s first understand how it relates to the Goldilocks story we all read and loved while we were kids.
In the story “Goldilocks and the three bears,” the three bears cook porridge but it is too hot to eat so they go outside on a walk as it cools. While they are outside, a girl named Goldilocks comes into the house. She tries all three bowls of porridge and eats the one that is neither too hot nor cold. She also goes on to sit on the chair and sleep in a bed that is neither too hard nor soft. That’s where the Goldilocks principle draws its inspiration from — choosing and going for something that is neither too hard nor easy.
Why the Goldilocks rule helps you stay motivated?
Have you ever wondered why is it that some people stick with their habits while we leave them off in the middle? How do some people reach the level of expertise and make it seem like an overnight success? There’s a lot of research that has worked on the subject of motivation and while there may be a million factors at play, one such important factor is working on tasks of just manageable difficulty.
The human brain loves challenges but if it’s too difficult, it’ll either procrastinate or give up on it completely. Think about it. When was the last time you played a competitive sport like tennis or badminton? What if you were to play a game with a five-year-old? You’ll win every game because it’s too easy. You’ll probably stop after a while. Now think of the opposite scenario. What if you were to play this game with a virtuoso in the field, say Saina Nehwal or Roger Federer? Even the thought of it seems daunting, doesn’t it?
Turn this around now. What if you were to play against someone who is your equal in the sport? You may win some points, you may lose some. But you’ll be completely invested in the game. This is the power of working on something that is of manageable difficulty. You achieve the state of flow. The Goldilocks rule states exactly that. It says that humans experience peak motivation when they are working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too easy and not too difficult. Just right.
How to use this to stick to your habits? Let’s say, you want to build a habit of not using your mobile for an hour in the morning. Instead of starting with this daunting goal, start with not
using your mobile for just five minutes in the morning. Maybe, you can brush your teeth in that time or set up your to-do list for the day to keep your mind off from picking up that phone. Start with a moderate level of difficulty when you adopt a new habit instead of jumping all in. You’ll find it easier to continue with the habit then.
Why you should measure your progress?
Just picking up tasks at the optimal level of difficulty isn’t enough. You need to keep measuring your progress at each step to keep yourself motivated and going. If we take our earlier example of playing a sport like badminton or tennis, you get immediate feedback depending on whether you win or lose the point. According to psychologist Jonathan Haidt, that immediate feedback is one of the easiest steps to reaching that state of flow. For example, if you lose or win a point while playing, you immediately start being cautious of your next move and concentrate harder.
It may not be as easy to keep a track of your progress in other areas of life but it is just as important, to stay motivated and happy. For example, tracking your progress after completion of every step in a project or noting down how far you have come with your “not picking up the phone after waking up” habit.
Now that you know this simple and effective rule, how would you be using it in your life? Let us know in the comments.
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