“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily,” once said author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. 

This famous quote reminds us that motivation is not a state to take for granted but one to cultivate. When you have goals to reach but you don’t feel motivated, you can also rely on discipline to keep taking action. This begs the question: Is motivation or discipline better for productivity? It turns out, a bit of both – and using Hive can help you lean into the unique benefits of each driving force. 

The difference between motivation and discipline 

To understand how you can harness both motivation and discipline to increase productivity, it’s important to grasp the difference between the two. “Motivation is the tangible or intangible reason why a person is compelled to act. We are typically motivated by a benefit we want to gain or by a consequence we want to avoid,” according to leadership development consultant and executive coach Liza Provenzano. As she puts it, motivation is the driving force that enables you to make choices about how you want to direct finite resources such as your time, energy and attention. 

As for discipline, Provenzano describes it as the approach that we take to carry out the actions needed to achieve our goals.“It refers to the mindsets and habits we adopt that enable us to consistently take action towards a desired goal or outcome, despite obstacles we may face,” she says. “Motivation is more about why, and discipline is more about how.” 

Motivation vs. discipline: Which one is better for productivity? 

Whether you want to boost your personal productivity or are hoping to improve team performance, one thing is for sure: you need both motivation and discipline, says Provenzano. They both come into play at different times during the process of setting goals and achieving them. 

Motivation plays a crucial role in goal-setting. Your goals need to motivate you. Ideally, they should be aligned with your values – or your organizational values. It’s all about having a strong why, which will keep you going in the face of challenges. Beyond setting purposeful goals, you’ll also want to make sure that your objectives are clear and that everyone on your team understands what they’re contributing to. 

With Hive’s Goals feature, you can set goals, visualize progress, and keep everyone aligned in one centralized dashboard. And you can personalize this process as much as you want to fit your team’s needs, from setting task-based objectives to monetary targets. The data reporting aspect of Goals makes it easy to know how much progress you’re making and to celebrate milestones, which fills your motivation tank. “Celebrating goals and accomplishments is a form of reward. It is an outcome of motivation that’s been acted upon successfully. The experience of celebrating a goal achieved, or even a milestone along the way, can feed into creating more motivation to continue or to try something new,” according to Provenzano. 

While having intentional goals and tracking and celebrating your progress will help you remain motivated, you will inevitably need the discipline to stay on track. “Discipline enables that consistent action. There are days when a task seems meaningless, boring, or complex. Discipline is needed to stay with that task and to navigate those more challenging moments,” adds Provenzano. 

Hive can help on that front too. Break down your goals into smaller chunks. Create actions and assign them with deadlines. Use the My Actions feature to check deliverables off your to-do list. You’ll still need to be disciplined, but effective project management will make it a tad easier to follow through on your action items. 

Tips to fuel motivation and discipline 

If you want to fuel both motivation and discipline to keep your productivity high, Provenzano has a few tips and habits to recommend. First, take even just a small step toward your goal. Daily baby steps add up. 

Also, remember why your goal matters to you. Identify a symbol or artifact that represents that reason. Put it in a place where you will regularly look at it and remember your why.  

Reviewing how you – or your team – spend your time on a regular basis is also a powerful habit for optimizing both your motivation and discipline. “Does your time reflect your priorities? If not, what do you need to say no or yes to in order to better align your time with your priorities?” says Provenzano. 

Additionally, don’t underestimate the importance of self-care. Getting good sleep, eating right and exercising will keep your mind clear and focused whether you need to tap into a source of motivation or show up and do the work from a place of discipline. Finally, watch out for your inner critic, warns Provenzano: “This is the inner negative chatter that will try to keep you in the status quo and give you all kinds of reasons to procrastinate. Notice when this happens and take action anyway.”