Dr. Ayelet Fishbach: Breaking Down The Science Of Motivation

An award-winning psychologist reveals what it really takes to get (and stay) motivated.

This Pirate Profile is inspired by Dr. Ayelet Fishbach on Christopher Lochhead's Follow Your Different podcast. Click “Play” below to listen to the full interview.

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Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,

Here in the Western world, we live in a culture obsessed with productivity, hustle-porn, and getting sh*t done.

• A Google search for “productivity tools” brings up about 649,000,000 results.

• The global productivity software market was valued at $42.90 billion in 2021, and it’s expected to grow to $132.82 billion by 2028. 

• The average worker uses at least 4 communications apps every day, and 20% use 6 or more.

It’s no wonder people today feel that unless they check a bunch of things off a list, they’re wasting time. But according to Dr. Ayelet Fishbach, an award-winning psychologist at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, productivity is not about being busy or completing a to-do list. 

It’s about having clear goals and a plan to reach them.

“I don't recommend that people have a to-do list,” says Dr. Fishbach. “It's not what I mean by getting things done. It starts with, what do you want to do? You have to think about what goals are important for you.”

Finding those goals is the secret to motivation, Dr. Fishbach’s area of expertise.

Dr. Fishbach was a guest on Pirate Christopher’s Follow Your Different podcast, where they talked about her #1 bestselling book, Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation. In it, she presents a theoretical framework that people can act on to motivate themselves and achieve their goals.

In this Pirate Profile, we’re sharing the story of this legendary Category Scientist and breaking down her insights on motivation into actionable steps.

Fishbach Is An Award-Winning Researcher, Author, And Professor

Fishbach grew up in an Israeli kibbutz, a communal society where she had to share everything with other kids. 

There was no such thing as private property, and money was considered evil. She recalls that her community valued agriculture and manual work more than education. She wanted to study psychology, but the people around her encouraged her to learn to drive a tractor. 

So she had to learn to find the motivation to pursue her dreams (or as she calls it, “pull herself out”).

She pulled herself out and moved to Tel Aviv, paying her way through university by working low-paying jobs. She kept pulling herself out when she moved to the United States, raised a family, and became a professor at the University of Chicago. As she studied and conducted research, she found ways to motivate herself through any adverse circumstance. 

Here are key moments of her legendary career:

• 1999: Fishbach earns a Ph.D. magna cum laude in psychology from Tel Aviv University, adding additional academic power to her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in psychology.

• 2000: She wins the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP) Dissertation Award for her groundbreaking research on human motivation.

• 2002: She joins the faculty at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business as an Assistant Professor.

• 2006: Fishbach is awarded the Provost’s Teaching Award and becomes an Associate Professor.

• 2009: She becomes a Professor at the University of Chicago.

• 2015-2018: She serves as President of the International Social Cognition Network (ISCON).

• 2019-2021: She serves as President of the Society for the Science of Motivation (SSM).

• 2022: Her book, Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation is published.

Over the last 20+ years, Dr. Fishbach has found there’s a science to staying motivated and completing the things we take on—without having to stress about quick fixes or to-do lists. 

And what she’s observed may surprise many of you.