Goldilocks Principle: How to Increase Your Motivation and Focus

Ever felt that it is extremely difficult to stay motivated doing something? Perhaps, you need to understand the Goldilocks Principle and use it in your life and business to raise your motivation and improve your focus.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a children’s story. In the story, the three bears cook porridge but it is too hot to eat. And the three bears decided to take a walk outside as it cools. And while they are away, a little girl named Goldilocks appears.

Goldilocks tried all the 3 bowls of porridge at the tables and eats the one that is neither too hot nor too cold. She also sits on the chair that is neither too hard nor too soft. After she finished the porridge, she tries the bed and goes for the one that is neither too hard nor too soft.

And this is what Goldilocks Principle is all about. Choosing and going for something that is not too easy nor too difficult, not too hot nor too cold, not too hard nor too soft, etc.

How the Goldilocks Principle Affects Your Life and Motivation

So what has the Goldilocks Principle has to do our lives and the success that we want?

Well, just imagine that you are playing a tennis match with a five-year-old. If you get too serious, guess what will happen?

The match is going to be boring because you can easily score. The match is not challenging at all.

Now, what if you are playing against professional tennis players like Serena Williams or Roger Federer? It will be a game that is too difficult and maybe you can’t even score a point.

Again, because the competition is too tough, you can’t win at all and you lose hope. You will quickly lose motivation because you can’t find a way to win the game.

What if you are playing tennis against someone who is your equal? Someone who’s skill level is almost the same as yours?

I love how James Clear puts it in his blog:

“As the game progresses, you win a few points and you lose a few. You have a good chance of winning, but only if you really try. Your focus narrows, distractions fade away, and you find yourself fully invested in the task at hand. This is a challenge of just manageable difficulty and it is a prime example of the Goldilocks Rule.”

According to the Goldilocks Principle, your motivation will be at a peak when you are working on something that is just right.

When the project or the goal that you are working on is not too difficult nor too easy, you become more motivated to do it.

How to Use the Goldilocks Principle to Achieve Your Goals

Now that you understand how the principle works. It is always better to choose a goal or a target that is not overly easy to achieve nor overly difficult.

This especially important in the beginning when you started with the goal.

You don’t want to set a goal that is too difficult to achieve that it kills your motivation right away.

When your goal is too far away from your current ability, you will lose hope. You will start to doubt yourself. And your doubts can kill your motivation.

And when you doubt yourself, you don’t believe in it.

When this happens, you will sabotage your own action. You may not put in your full effort because you don’t think that your goal is possible in the first place.

On the other hand, when your goal is too easy to reach, you feel that it is not challenging enough and you will also quickly lose your drive to strive for something better.

Therefore, set a goal that is not too difficult nor too easy to achieve.

Set a goal that is at your optimum level.

Tasks that are below your current abilities are boring while tasks that are way beyond your abilities to achieve are discouraging too.

You need to choose a goal or make the task that is just right.

Regardless of your tasks or goals, follow the Goldilocks Principle and make them just right. Make them not too difficult nor too easy to accomplish.

This way, you can boost your motivation because the tasks are just nice to drive you into taking action and not overly difficult until they turn you off.

Conclusion

The Goldilocks Rule is a powerful principle that we should always consider when it comes to reaching our goals. This is because if you ignore this rule, you will find it extremely difficult to stick to your plan.

For instance, if you want to be a writer, you should have heard about the 1,000-word challenge. This is where you commit to writing 1,000 words a day.

Now, if you are someone who can write a lot, writing 1,000 words a day may be too easy for you. And if you are a beginner, writing 1,000 words a day can be a big challenge.

The key is that you have to adjust the level of difficulty according to your own ability.

You have to make the task just nice so that it boosts your motivation and inspire you to act.

The same goes for everything in your life. Walking 10,000 steps is a good target, but you must make sure it passes the Goldilocks Rule before you commit to it.

When you make a task overly difficult or overly easy, you will procrastinate. This is why mastering your mind is so important when it comes to achieving the success you want.

If you are someone who procrastinates a lot, you should read this article below:

Top 10 Reasons Why Do People Procrastinate and How To Overcome It

If you want to stick to your goals and plans, just follow the Goldilocks Principle.