Humans naturally experience a strong and persistent desire to satisfy basic needs such as sex and food. These needs do not require coercion or self-struggle, unlike performing work or study tasks, which are often accompanied by laziness and procrastination. However, it is claimed that it is possible to develop an equally strong and natural drive to achieve goals without resorting to willpower.

Sex and food bring pleasure, being physiological needs. Work and study, at first glance, lack this. Nevertheless, the desire to work and achieve goals is also linked to psychological needs and the pleasure derived from their satisfaction. It is suggested that this desire is suppressed due to upbringing prohibitions that a person often does not realize. The psyche uses substitution mechanisms to compensate for the deficit of these needs. For example, the need for inner peace may be replaced by overeating, confidence by alcohol, and self-worth by shopaholism.

A similar situation is observed with important tasks. Attempts to motivate oneself with money, purchases, or prospects often prove unsuccessful, as these substitutes do not eliminate the internal deficit. All people come to the conclusion that material incentives alone are insufficient for motivation. To generate a strong desire to act, it is necessary to link the task with basic instinctive needs. Satisfying such motives brings pleasure, forming a stable dependence, similar to dependence on sex or food.

One such basic instinctive motive is the need for power and influence. David McClelland, in his book "The Achieving Society," explored this motive, proving its universality. The need for power is defined as the desire to influence someone or something. It originates from infancy, growing out of innate reactions to stimuli. The pleasure of evoking emotions in adults, controlling their behavior through crying and tantrums, and influencing objects—all of this forms a stable need for power and influence through positive reinforcement.

All human interactions are based on influence: expressing an opinion changes others' views, appearance affects impressions. However, people often focus on how to avoid negative influence, remaining in a state of anxiety and fear. This is a manifestation of an internal prohibition imposed since childhood, when domineering and aggressive behavior was punished. The process of upbringing, in essence, consists of subordinating a person to the norms of the family and society. From the age of three, a child often conflicts, wanting to do things their own way, while parents insist on theirs. Socialization is useful for adapting to society, but excessive prohibitions are imposed during the maturation process.

Examples of the formation of such prohibitions:

• A child drew on the wall, wanting to influence the environment. Parents punished him, forming a prohibition against altering someone else's territory. An adult may avoid taking the initiative to transform something.
• A boy argued with his brother, defending his point of view. The father punished both for the noise. Repeating the situation forms a prohibition against resolving disputes and mutual influence.

As a result of strict upbringing, the need for power is either prohibited or preserved in a truncated form. A person ceases to see the connection between the desire to influence and their goals, although this can be an inexhaustible source of motivation.

Restoring the Connection Between Goals and the Motive of Influence

For tasks related to goals (studying, working, earning) to evoke the same strong desire as food or sex, it is necessary to re-establish the connection with the motive of influence. Unlike physiological needs, actions for the sake of goals have a more complex structure. The first obstacle is often a disconnect: the task seems necessary not to the person themselves, but to someone else. This leads to external motivation, where an action is performed under threat of punishment or for the sake of reward.

Step 1: Task Ownership

Task ownership means understanding the personal benefit of completing it. It is necessary to realize why the task is needed specifically by you. For example, a student needs to write a thesis, but it seems necessary to the professor. A boss needs employees to call clients. A client needs a project from a freelancer.

Personal Example: As a student, the author chose a thesis topic related to emotional intelligence development training for medical students. This allowed him to prepare for his future work as a trainer, giving each stage of thesis work personal meaning and high motivation.

Work Example: When calling clients, it is necessary to look for personal benefit, even if it does not directly affect income. For example, if calls cause anxiety, it can be viewed as an opportunity to practice and overcome fear. Each call becomes a behavioral experiment.

To facilitate task ownership and the search for personal benefit, it is recommended to develop strategic thinking, i.e., to think ahead.

Strategic Thinking Example: After university, the author wanted to become a psychologist but didn't know how to earn money. Lacking promotion skills, he took a content manager position in a healthy lifestyle-related field, then became an internet marketer and product owner. In 4 years, he gained a full cycle of experience: from product creation to its promotion. The personal benefit was hidden in tasks that seemed external.

Step 2: Recognizing and Recording Influence

The first step to activating the power motive is to start noticing moments when you enjoy influencing something or someone. This could be a suggestion accepted at work, a change in atmosphere after rearranging furniture. It is important to realize that all of life is permeated by mutual influence, which often remains unconscious.

Action: Make a list of areas where you already exert influence. Consider people, objects, environment, the virtual world, and even small things like controlling a character in a game, arguing over trifles, or sending a message to a girl.

Step 3: Defining the Goal of Influence

It is necessary to understand whom and what you want to influence through a planned action.

Client Example: When calling clients, one can set a goal to influence the purchase decision. If the client refused, one can try to change their negative perception of the product. Or, as mentioned earlier, influence oneself by overcoming the fear of first contact.

Thesis Example: The dean of the faculty invited the vice-rector to the author's thesis defense to persuade him to include additional subjects for medical students. The realization that the thesis could influence the vice-rector became a powerful motivation for the author, giving him enthusiasm and eliminating procrastination.

It is important to understand that criticism of the result is inappropriate. The motive of influence is a continuous process that is constantly renewed, similar to hunger or sexual desire.

When working with the power motive, the question inevitably arises: "Am I trembling or do I have the right?", which signifies encountering internal prohibitions. Thoughts of one's own insignificance or fear of conflict may arise when attempting to influence.

Overcoming the Self-Preservation Instinct

McClelland identified four basic power motives. Two of them are approach motives, one is an avoidance motive necessary for self-preservation. The latter motive is actively cultivated in childhood to block other motives.

Example: A programmer who finds a way to solve a problem in 20 minutes instead of 3 hours wants to influence the industry by publishing their algorithm. However, they are overcome by fear: "What if I say something wrong?", "What if everyone gets angry?". The self-preservation instinct, while vital, can act inadequately, blocking other needs due to a distorted perception of the task. The fear of expressing an opinion may be unfounded, while other people do so without consequences.

For the power motive to function normally, the dominance of the self-preservation instinct must be eliminated. Its excessive activation arises from a distorted perception of the task, where the psyche invents catastrophic scenarios.

To correct perception, the lecture "The Productivity Formula" is recommended, which explains in an hour the five psychological conditions that contribute to the natural desire to act. These conditions represent the absence of factors that activate the self-preservation instinct.

The lecture is available for a symbolic price of 490 rubles and includes a free book, "Modern Career Guidance. How to Find Your Life's Work." Details on how to obtain the materials are available in the Telegram bot.

Maxim Vasilchenko, a psychologist specializing in procrastination therapy for the last 3 years, offers to teach how to manage productivity.