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List of motivators

2nd March 2021

The point of this list is that you need all of these motivators in order to be happy at a job, maybe a mojority is sufficient but one is definitely not enough.

The list

Money: Working in order to survive, buy food, luxuries etc.

Money feedback loop: Being paid in accordance with your performance/output. This is very difficult to get in larger corporations because of processes and their inherent shortcomings.

Enjoyment: Need to enjoy at least some of your job, I think most people only enjoy certain parts and battle through the rest. This is the approach society endorses. I think this is largely fixed per person, in the form of higher purposes they believe in and tasks they enjoy. For example, caring for the environment, engineering design and construction.

Purpose: Most people will enjoy anything if it is working towards a higher purpose that they believe in. Most people probably agree with most higher purposes, it's the sub-purposes that cause issue.

Purpose feedback loop: Much enjoyment comes from working towards a higher purpose that you believe in, in the way that you think will work best. Much frustration comes from being directed to work towards a sub-purpose that you think is unnecessary, no matter what the higher purpose is.

Appreciation: Seeing that people care about, benefit and like what you do. Often communicated with money. People who love working on their own car but not others' is probably because other people won't appreciate what they do for them. Doctors getting paid less because they see less patients due to spending more meaningful time with each one is an appreciation issue. I think most people who enjoy customer service roles like the appreciation aspect.

Appreciation feedback loop: Being directed to carry out a task that is unappreciated is very soul destroying. Being able to modify your tasking based on the appreciation of each is uplifting.

Control: All the feedback loops ultimately come down to control over the motivators.

Start-up example

Startups inherently cater to all? of the above. They won't function without appreciation, this is called traction/product-market-fit. The start-up won't exist unless it is serving a higher purpose, it is possible that not everyone agrees with this purpose however, given the high output and low pay required in startups, it's unlikely that someone who doesn't agree with the higher purpose will work there. Control is provided by the need to be efficient, if something isn't worth doing or won't provide benefit, it should not be done. Enjoyment isn't guaranteed for any person at any startup but it is highly likely you can find/create a startup that meets your higher purpose and tasks that you enjoy.

Note

Most people will explain to you how the job they are in provides all these motivators, despite the fact that they are clearly unfulfilled. It's easy to fall into this trap but I think that deep down you know when you have. If you are having trouble motivating yourself to do something at work, it most likely is missing one of the above.