As a business owner or entrepreneur, you wear many hats, and often it feels like you do the job of more than one person. Scratch that; make that 10 people. Productivity is key and motivation is the driver. So how do you hack your brain and boost motivation on a daily basis? It’s easier than you think and it involves something I like to call the Rule of Reward.

Acknowledge Small Steps
Instead of setting your sights on major goals, organize each goal into small steps. The reason these smaller goals are so important is because your brain will release dopamine each time a goal is completed. Dopamine is the feel-good neurotransmitter in your brain that drives motivation. That’s why breaking a major goal into smaller, more manageable goals tricks your brain into feeling reward many times throughout a project instead of just once when it’s fully completed. This, in turn, keeps motivation consistent.

Find an Accountability Partner
This can be a team member, coach, friend or a fellow business owner that provides positive feedback and praise. This relationship is especially important for entrepreneurs that work alone. Communicating your results and accomplishments with an accountability partner is important for recognition and reward. Positive feedback is a major motivator, so build a network of people that can provide that for you.

Focus on One Task at a Time
We live in a country that celebrates multi-tasking, while in reality, focusing on tasks fully, one at a time is a much better approach to complete goals. Consider this example: Elizabeth works all day on several tasks, trying to make progress on several different projects at once. While she does, in fact, make progress, she doesn’t complete any one of the projects, so that dopamine we talked about earlier isn’t released and her motivation wanes. A better approach would be to focus on one project; complete it and move on to the next. The reward of completing the first project would help drive motivation for the rest.

Daily motivation is important, but don’t forget about good old effort. Put in the effort every day to work harder and work smarter and apply the rule of reward to better your business. If you’d like to chat further, find me on Facebook, I’d love to connect!