Why do we work?

For most people, it seems like the answer isn’t something that feels good. People work because they feel like they have to—out of pressure (both external and self-imposed), fear of not having enough, or fear of not being good enough. At the other end, people work because there is some tangible reward—a raise, promotion, bonus. Better, certainly, but still something that comes from the outside.

I have seen this in colleagues for a long time and see it presently in my students. People get into gear under the pressure of a deadline (full confession—I’m writing this note on Thursday night because of my Friday morning deadline), because they feel like they have to get an “A”, or because of implicit punishment from some other person (“I’ll get yelled at by my boss”). What people rarely do is work because they look forward to it, or because it’s just something that they do on autopilot.

This article explores an adjacent question: What happens when we remove fear, pressure and external rewards? What drives us to work then?

Why Do We Work?

My hypothesis is that most people work in order to avoid some negative emotion. To me, pressure is just fear with another label. Pressure from our boss is fear of punishment. Pressure to do well on an exam is fear of what will happen to our self-worth or what negative self-beliefs will get confirmed if we do poorly. Pressure to provide for one’s family is also a sort of fear, the fear of what will happen to the spouse and children if we lose our job or fail to meet our sales quota.

We all know people who seem unable to put in significant work without this kind of external pressure. These are the people who procrastinate until a deadline (and procrastination is just another type of fear, so procrastinating until a deadline is near is just the fear of the deadline overriding the fear of getting started on a big task).

At an initial stage, I think this motivating fear is a good thing. When we are functioning at a level where we only act out of fear, that fear is good, because not acting at all is likely to be worse. Fear is an emotion related to survival—a positive thing—and the fear pops up when our nervous system senses that our survival might be in jeopardy. All the cases above—losing a job, bombing an exam, pushing hard on a quota at the end of the quarter—are responses to the animal doing its best to survive.

However, we are humans, and we can access motivation that goes beyond our survival instinct.

Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

According to psychology, motivation comes in two flavors: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Wikipedia defines extrinsic motivation as “aris[ing] from external factors, such as rewards, punishments, or recognition from others.” By contrast, intrinsic motivation “is driven by internal factors, like enjoyment, curiosity, or a sense of fulfillment.”

Does the source of motivation matter? I think it does. Intrinsic motivation, when we can find it, just feels better.

Most of us are motivated, most of the time, by extrinsic factors. It’s the fear, the pressure, the punishments, rewards, etc., I talked about above. Even when motivated by rewards and recognition, it feels worse because we are still attached to the outcome of the work rather than the work itself. Attachment is suffering.

By contrast, intrinsic motivation, if not necessarily feeling like fun, somehow feels better. This is the artistic urge of the amateur poet, the hobbyist painter, and the finance bro that writes about feelings. I often say that I write mostly to organize my own thoughts. This is work that we do because somehow we feel like we just want to do it, whether there’s something tangible in it for us or not.

Notice I said, “when we can find it.” I’ve noticed that in my work, intrinsic motivation comes and goes. This is where personal identity comes in.

The Gray Zone

I think there’s a middling gray zone between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. This is working when there’s no real pressure or reward, but in the moment, it doesn’t seem like there’s “enjoyment, curiosity, or a sense of fulfillment either.” It’s how I feel writing this note at this exact moment.

The truth is, even the most excited, intrinsically motivated person is not going to feel that way all the time. But in order to do anything great, we have to be consistent, so we can’t rely on inspiration or excitement to carry us forward all the time. That’s where another kind of motivation comes in, which is motivation linked to who we are.

Many people who exercise regularly say that they do it because it has become a habit and they don’t really think about it, much like brushing their teeth. They’re just a person that goes to the gym regularly. In my case, it’s just me deciding to be a person that writes on a regular basis, whether I feel like it or not. When we work from a place of identity, the focus shifts from “what I feel like doing” to “who I am” or “who I want to be.”

I think that kind of regularity in something that feels like “work” is just on the cusp of intrinsic motivation. We don’t feel excited all the time so in those moments, we rely on a machine-like autopilot where we just get the task done without feeling much of any kind of emotion at all. This notion of “autopilot” isn’t mindless, however—it’s about making a commitment to the process of our work. No fear, no pressure, no excitement, and no fulfillment. Just getting it done.

The good news is, in the absence of fear and pressure, eventually the native excitement and curiosity that got us doing the work in the first place will eventually return. As I’m reaching the conclusion of this note I can feel it, as I after doing a couple of drafts of this piece, I feel like I finally uncovered a point about work and motivation that feels true and novel. But I wouldn’t have gotten to this point of insight without rolling up my sleeves and spending some time in front of the page. Only by doing the work did I give myself a chance to rediscover that excitement.

 

Exercise

Journal on the following or discuss with a friend.

1)      Noticing

What are my motivations for work? Do I work for extrinsic reasons, such as reward, recognition, pressure, or avoiding punishment? Or do I work to follow my own curiosity and excitement?

It’s likely that you will follow extrinsic motivation in some areas and intrinsic motivation in others.

Extrinsic motivation is also not a bad thing. It keeps us alive.

2)      Reflection

In areas of my life where I feel intrinsic motivation to work, how consistent is my emotion of excitement or curiosity? Are there times when my motivation wanes?

What are projects where I used to feel excited, but my motivation has gone away?

3)      Noticing during action

It doesn’t matter why the motivation has gone away.

Choose a work area or project where you used to be excited to work, but the motivation has gone away. Commit to working on it for a period of time—45 minutes, or an afternoon, or whatever a normal work session would be for you.

As you engage in the work, notice how your emotions change. Do you feel pressure or fear at times? Are you able to rediscover glimpses of your original curiosity and excitement?

It also doesn’t matter exactly what comes up! Emotions are information. As you pay attention to how you feel as you work, you may discover something you can use in the future.