Gretchen Rubin has a theory on why you can't get yourself to the gym.
Most people spend too much time testing out new behaviors and routines as a way of building habits or achieving goals, says Rubin, a happiness researcher and bestselling author of the 2017 book "The Four Tendencies."
Instead, she recommends, focus on the motivations that you know have already worked for you before.
"A lot of times when people want to make a change, they want to make or break a habit," Rubin tells CNBC Make It. "They want to do something because it worked for a good friend of theirs or they read an article about [it]. They don't pay attention to [what has made them] succeed in the past."
If colleagues have helped keep you socially accountable for group work projects in the past, finding a gym buddy could help you stick to those workouts, for example.
If you usually pore through online reviews to find the perfect bar for a nearby happy hour, you might want to take the same approach to figuring out your ideal exercise routine.
The same logic applies to just about any problem, Rubin says. If you're struggling to get a promotion, think about how you've attained success in other parts of your life — and try to translate those tactics into your workplace.
The trick, in other words, is figuring out what motivates you and applying it to a wide variety of situations. "The people who are the most successful are the ones who have figured out what they need to achieve their aims," says Rubin.
In her book, she outlines four types of people, each of whom are motivated a little differently:
- Upholders, she explains, are task-oriented and driven to complete their goals — no matter who sets them. They can write in a journal that their New Years' resolution is to go to the gym four times a week, and then actually do it.
- Obligers, sometimes known as people-pleasers, are driven by social discipline, Rubin says. They might need to find a running group or buddy to feel motivated.
- Questioners use research or justifications to motivate themselves: They'll go to the gym, but only after spending hours deciding which workout will provide the best results.
- Rebels won't do something just because someone told them to, says Rubin. They may not even listen to themselves. Instead, they're identity-driven: If they are convinced they're a runner, they'll run.
Understanding what motivates you matters: Self-awareness correlates directly with career success, and is common among "high-performing individuals," psychology research suggests.
Self-awareness can simultaneously help protect you against stress and burnout, neuroscience and psychology experts told CNBC Make It last month.
Even better, says Rubin: If you can identify what motivates the people around you, you can understand and interact with them much more effectively.
"In the workplace, you can determine, 'This person needs outer accountability,'" she says. "Some people need deadlines and some work better without them."
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