Most people wait to celebrate life’s biggest achievements—a promotion, graduation or major breakthrough but the evidence suggests it’s the small victories along the way that create the motivation to accomplish the big ones.

Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile and psychologist Steven Kramer spent years studying what actually motivates people at work. Their landmark research analyzed nearly 12,000 daily diary entries from 238 employees working on creative projects at seven companies.

Their research found that people didn’t need major breakthroughs to stay engaged.

Most of the positive momentum came from ordinary progress—a difficult phone call completed, a software bug fixed, a chapter written or a workout finished. Those seemingly minor accomplishments produced meaningful increases in motivation, creativity and engagement.

Conversely, feeling blocked or experiencing setbacks had an even stronger negative effect on motivation and contributes to burn out.  In other words don’t wait for the victory to celebrate.  Recognizing today’s small victory may be exactly what carries you to tomorrow’s big one.

“Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.” – Amabile and Kramer

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