Intrinsic Doesn't Have To Mean Exciting

 

Photo by Gabriel Valdez on Unsplash

I wonder if some parents and teachers shy away from encouraging intrinsic motivation because they don't have the energy to make every lesson and chore as fun as a party game or as delicious as chocolate cake.

Intrinsic motivation can come from something having become habitual enough that once you work yourself up to starting it you're going to finish it unless something interrupts you. I feel that way about cleaning up after the cats and about making pancakes. 

Intrinsic motivation can come from something being soothingly repetitive like sweeping or crocheting something rectangular. (Crocheting other shapes can be intellectually intense.)

Intrinsic motivation can come from being able to do one thing while focusing on something else like doing the same set of warmup exercises while watching different music videos. 

Intrinsic motivation can come from feeling companionable with the person you're doing it with. I often play solitaire or sew at the same table while my teen does online math exercises. We don't exactly converse but we'll exchange comments about what each of us is doing. 

Intrinsic motivation can come from the conglomeration of previous times you've felt slightly better after doing the thing. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day and most mornings I don't pay attention to how it tastes, but if I skip or delay it I feel bad. 

Intrinsic motivation can come from soothing physical restlessness or intellectual boredom. On the rare days I'm healthy and caught up on urgent supposed-tos I might rearrange a shelf just for something to do. Are the external expectations light enough to allow for this?

Intrinsic motivation can come from external structure that suits you, like an exercise class, a daily drawing prompt, or a phone alarm labeled "Time To Stretch!" The structure may be external, but you're neither rewarded for doing it nor punished for skipping it so the motivation is still internal. 

So if you want to teach intrinsic motivation in a comfortable way, stop thinking about fun and start thinking about flow states, routines, supports, and relationships.