Managing competing goals to maintain motivation and productivity

Few of us have enough time to do all the things that are expected of us, and when we have more goals than we can achieve we will trade them off against each other in different ways. When we get it wrong, this can lead to important things never being done. But when we get it right, we can increase our focus and motivation and do incredible things with our limited time. This week Mark works through a paper on multiple goal theory to unpack some of the core lessons from his book, The Productive Researcher. You will understand how your many goals interact and why you prioritise certain things over others. By understanding this, you will be empowered to make clearer decisions as you prioritise your workload, and be happier with the work you do - and don’t do. Unsworth et al. (2014) Multiple goals: A review and derivation of general principles. Journal of Organizational Behavior 35: 1064-1078.