We all experience those days when motivation seems impossible, but what happens when those uninspired days turn into weeks and months? Navigating through extended periods of low motivation can be particularly challenging, especially for accountants.

Unfortunately, maintaining a strong work ethic becomes an uphill battle when your job fails to inspire you. So, what’s the solution?

This is where the Motivational Triad comes in, a brain science concept that explains why we do and don’t do what we do. 

The truth is that your brain is naturally wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and to conserve energy. Understanding this triad and learning how to leverage it can be the key to unlocking increased motivation in your life.

In the world of accounting, where we deal with complicated work day in and day out, understanding what drives us, motivates us, and gets in the way can be a game-changer. 

For example, let’s say you’re in the middle of a complex financial analysis. Since your brain craves immediate pleasure, you might find yourself checking email rather than focusing on the task at hand.  

And since your brain likes to avoid pain, it might overanalyze for fear of making a mistake.  And finally, because your brain wants to conserve energy, it will resist any part of the financial analysis that is unfamiliar and might take more effort than usual.  

The thing is that as accountants, we face daily challenges that push against the Motivational Triad, making it challenging to get accounting work done.  Whether it’s meeting tight deadlines, addressing discrepancies, or managing workloads efficiently, it’s incredibly important that all accountants understand the Motivational Triad better.

As I’ve said before in previous episodes, this podcast is the place where brain science meets accounting.  What I teach isn’t taught in any accounting classroom or CPE seminar.

Which is why this week’s episode is all about helping you unlock a new level of motivation and success in your accounting career.  Whether you’re a seasoned accountant looking for fresh insights, or just starting out and want to enhance your skills, I promise this episode will be a valuable resource. 

Understanding The Motivational Triad

When you understand the Motivational Triad, you understand the fundamental drivers of human behavior.  In other words, you understand what makes you tick. 

The truth is that the instinct to seek pleasure is woven into our very essence. We are naturally drawn to activities that bring us joy, fulfillment, and a sense of achievement. 

This pleasure-seeking instinct extends beyond the boundaries of professions, influencing how we approach challenges and experience satisfaction from our accomplishments.  In other words, our brains are drawn to things that bring us pleasure, whether those things are helpful or not.

In accounting, this instinct happens when we do what we’re trained to do. It’s the joy of solving financial puzzles and optimizing processes that lights up our motivation to seek pleasure.

The second instinct, to avoid pain, is a survival mechanism that’s been with us since humans lived in caves.  Whether professionally or personally, humans are wired to steer away from discomfort, challenges, and potential threats. 

This avoidance instinct plays a pivotal role in shaping our decisions and actions.

In the accounting domain, meeting tight deadlines and addressing financial discrepancies are prime examples where the instinct to avoid pain comes into play. The initial stress and discomfort associated with these challenges highlight the universal nature of the pain-avoidance instinct.

The third instinct, conserving energy, is also a fundamental aspect of human survival. Our bodies are designed to operate efficiently, preserving vital resources for essential functions. 

This energy-conserving instinct is a driving force for how we allocate our mental and physical efforts across various tasks.

In the context of accounting, automating repetitive tasks and optimizing workflows align with the instinct to conserve energy. The aim is to streamline processes which allows us to allocate our cognitive resources more effectively.

While the Motivational Triad is helpful in understanding what motivates us, it’s also just as important to understand how these human instincts collide with the specific challenges faced by accountants.

A better understanding of the Motivational Triad will explain why accounting work can be challenging, but also what to do about it.

The Pleasure Principle in Accounting

Now let’s dive deeper into each part of the Motivational Triad and learn how to leverage each motivator.

The first motivator is seeking pleasure.  The truth is that finding pleasure in the daily grind can be a game-changer, especially for accountants.

Let’s be honest – a lot of the work we do as accountants is not pleasurable, it’s often challenging, and can sometimes be boring.  Unfortunately, that becomes a big problem for our brain and the Motivational Triad.

This explains why we can fall into the trap of procrastination.  When our brain is not on board with the work we have to do because it’s not seeing the work as pleasurable or it sees it as challenging or boring, our brain would rather avoid it and do something else that it finds pleasurable.

I often joke that email is an accountant’s drug of choice, but that’s because of the Motivational Triad.  Our accountant brain would rather check email than figure out that complicated 1031 exchange calculation.

So what can you do to get your brain more on board with accounting work when a lot of the work we do goes against the Motivational Triad?  The first step is setting achievable milestones.

For example, let’s say you have a complicated tax return to complete.  To align with the Pleasure Principle and use the Motivational Triad to your advantage, it’s incredibly helpful to get your brain on board by breaking it down into bite-sized milestones. 

Instead of viewing the entire tax return as a daunting mountain to climb, conquer it step by step. Celebrate each mini-victory, enjoying the pleasure of overcoming challenges.

Transforming a complicated tax return into manageable milestones not only aligns with the Pleasure Principle but also taps into the satisfaction of progress. 

The second step of the Pleasure Principle is recognizing achievements.  Your brain thrives on acknowledging and celebrating achievements, big or small. 

In the accounting realm, where attention to detail is important, recognizing your successes becomes pivotal.

For example, let’s say you’ve meticulously conducted an audit, ensuring accuracy and uncovering valuable insights. To tap into the Motivational Triad you need to take a moment to own your accomplishment. 

Recognize the effort invested, celebrate the successful completion of audits or reports, and share the joy with your team.

Acknowledging achievements is not just a pat on the back; it’s a powerful motivator. It transforms the routine into a source of pleasure, creating a positive feedback loop that propels you forward. 

Whether it’s a balanced budget or a comprehensive financial report, recognizing these achievements gets your brain on board and transforms the demanding nature of accounting work into a fulfilling experience.

To help add more pleasure into your accounting work, consider these strategies:

Personalize Milestones: Look for ways to align your goals with your strengths and interests within accounting. Find pleasure in the specific aspects that resonate with you.

Create a Celebration Ritual: Develop a ritual for celebrating achievements, whether it’s a team lunch, a virtual toast, or a simple acknowledgment. Creating a positive association with accomplishments gives your brain a chance to make the connection between pleasure and accounting work.

Share Success Stories: Engage with others by sharing success stories. Celebrating collective achievements fosters a sense of camaraderie and mutual support.  Whether it’s posting something on LinkedIn or sharing with a coworker, sharing success can be an amazing motivator for your brain.

The truth is that by leveraging intrinsic motivators and incorporating these strategies, you can turn your brain’s natural desire for pleasure into your ally, transforming accounting work into a source of joy and accomplishment.

It truly doesn’t have to be a daily grind or drudgery when you learn how to tap into the Motivational Triad.

The Pain Avoidance Instinct 

Now let’s dive deeper into the second motivator in the Motivational Triad and learn how to leverage it.  This second motivator is all about avoiding pain.  

As I shared before, a lot of the work we do as accountants is not pleasurable and unfortunately, can be perceived as painful.  Tasks like complicated analysis, meeting tight deadlines, or addressing discrepancies may trigger the Pain Avoidance Instinct. 

Unfortunately, the discomfort associated with these tasks can lead to avoidance behaviors, negatively affecting productivity and causing stress.

The interesting thing is that in the realm of time management, our brain’s natural avoidance of pain becomes a significant challenge.  Balancing the demands of the job with the instinct to avoid perceived pain creates a unique challenge. 

For many of my coaching clients, this avoidance of pain often affects their time management skills.  Here’s the thing – when tasks are perceived as painful, the natural inclination is to postpone or avoid them altogether. 

While you might feel a momentary sense of relief, this pain avoidance behavior can lead to a backlog of work and increased stress. The Pain Avoidance Instinct, if left unchecked, becomes a stumbling block in effective time management for all of us.

So what can we do to deal with the pain avoidance instinct?  Here are some strategies to consider:

Task Breakdown: To get your brain’s cooperation, break down larger, potentially painful tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. This not only aligns with the Pain Avoidance Instinct by making tasks seem less daunting but also provides a roadmap for progress.

Reward Systems: Implement a reward system for completing challenging tasks. Associating a positive outcome with completing a perceived painful task can shift your brain from avoidance to accomplishment.

Professional Development: Invest time in learning new skills and technologies that can alleviate the pain associated with tedious tasks. Embracing innovation and staying updated can transform how certain aspects of the job are perceived.

Collaboration and Support: Seek support from colleagues, mentors, and coaches, and engage in collaborative problem-solving. Sharing the load and gaining insights from others can make challenging tasks feel less burdensome.

Understanding the Pain Avoidance Instinct is the first step in overcoming its impact on accounting work. By implementing strategic approaches and reframing the perception of certain tasks, you can transform your natural tendency from avoidance into engagement.

The truth is that when you make your work less painful, you make your time more manageable.  

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The Conserving Energy Motivator

Now let’s dive deeper into the third and final motivator in the Motivational Triad and learn how to leverage it.  This third motivator is all about conserving energy.

In accounting, where time is of the essence, conserving energy is vital for being efficient and having a sustainable accounting career. Unfortunately, the demanding nature of accounting tasks and the constant need for meticulous attention can lead to burnout if energy conservation strategies are not implemented effectively.

Therefore, finding ways to strategically allocate energy becomes a cornerstone for accountants seeking to not only excel in our current tasks but also maintain a long and fulfilling career.

So let’s explore specific time management strategies that align with the Motivational Triad’s Conserving Energy principle, ensuring that we can be productive without paying a cost.

Let’s say you have a number of client requests that require attention. Just the act of writing everything down, deciding what’s a priority, and then calendaring it, you actually conserve mental energy that might have been otherwise scattered across various tasks.

The truth is that prioritization allows us to focus our energy on high-impact tasks, ensuring that the limited resources, both mental and physical, are utilized effectively. When it comes to accounting work, you want your brain to be as cooperative as possible.

Make sure you regularly assess and prioritize tasks based on impact and ease.  Tackling easy, high-impact tasks first, aligns with the Conserving Energy principle, creating momentum and ensuring that essential tasks receive attention first.

The second strategy for conserving energy is delegating appropriately.  The truth is that the skill of delegation is a cornerstone of conserving energy and maximizing efficiency. 

While we often find ourselves drowning in various responsibilities, not every task requires our direct attention.

For example, consider routine data entry tasks that are essential but don’t necessarily demand the specialized expertise of accountants. Delegating these to capable support staff not only frees up your time for more complex challenges but also aligns with the Conserving Energy principle.

It’s important to establish a framework for delegation, identifying tasks that can be effectively handled by support staff or team members. This not only optimizes energy conservation but also creates a sense of collaboration.

Hopefully you can see that by aligning time management strategies with the Conserving Energy aspect of the Motivational Triad, it allows you to streamline your work and optimize efficiency.  I say this to my time management coaching clients all the time, but in order to better manage your time, you have to first manage your mind.

Understanding your brain’s need to conserve energy will make your time management much more effective.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Using The Motivational Triad To Your Advantage

Hopefully, you can now see the importance of the Motivational Triad.  The key really lies in understanding how to use the natural tendencies of your brain to your advantage.

One of my coaching clients was a Tax Manager dealing with complex tax returns that often seemed overwhelming. We decided to focus on the Motivational Triad, specifically her brain’s desire for pleasure.

Instead of viewing the entire tax return as a daunting task, she began to break it down into achievable milestones. She set specific, bite-sized goals for each section of the return.

Completing and acknowledging these mini-milestones provided her with a sense of pleasure and accomplishment, making it so much easier to get each tax return done.  In fact, after working together and becoming a Smarter Accountant, she realized that she was getting each tax return done in less time than the year before.  

She also decided to implement a celebration ritual for herself. After completing each mini-milestone, instead of just moving on to the next thing on her list, she took a moment to acknowledge each achievement, whether it was a small victory or a significant step forward. 

These simple moments of recognition not only boosted her motivation but also created a positive association between her work and the pleasure of success.  She was amazed at how much better she felt at the end of each day when she used the Motivational Triad to her advantage.

Another client worked for a mid-sized firm and was struggling with procrastination and time management, particularly when faced with tasks he perceived as painful.  I’m sure you can relate to those things that you’d just like to avoid.

After working together to become a Smarter Accountant, he decided to address the Motivational Triad, specifically his brain’s natural avoidance of pain.  He realized it was getting in the way of his productivity and that it was creating an issue where he was working longer hours than he wanted.

Instead of postponing or avoiding larger, potentially painful tasks, he broke them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This not only made the tasks seem less daunting but also provided a roadmap for progress.

We also talked about introducing a reward system for himself. Upon completing challenging tasks, he associated positive rewards, such as a break, a special type of coffee he enjoyed, or a short walk. 

This shift from avoidance to accomplishment, coupled with the prospect of a reward, motivated him to tackle tasks he would usually find painful.  By understanding and strategically addressing the Motivational Triad’s Pain Avoidance Instinct, he enhanced his time management skills and reduced procrastination.

He was also able to get more done in less time and have a life outside of work.

Hopefully, you can now see that a Smarter Accountant understands while there are plenty of day-to-day activities that work against the Motivational Triad, but addressing these issues and using the Motivational Triad to your advantage you can reduce the chances of burnout and feel better about your career.  

Well, that’s what I have for you.  Thank you for joining me as I discussed the importance of understanding the Motivational Triad.  I hope you’ve gained valuable insights and practical tips.

If you are struggling with any aspect of being an accountant, you can simply go to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar and book a free session with me.

I’ll explain The Smarter Accountant 6-week Program and how you can apply it to whatever you’re struggling with.

So make sure you check back each week as I help you go from being a stressed accountant to a Smarter Accountant.

Make sure you go to www.thesmarteraccountant.com and take The Smarter Accountant Quiz. You’re going to want to know if you’ve been underutilizing your accountant brain so that you have a starting point for becoming a Smarter Accountant..

Also, I would appreciate it if you could get the word out to other accountants about this podcast.  The more accountants find out about it, the more we can begin to change the narrative in the accounting profession.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.