I’m writing to ask for your ideas. You know I like to share lists: like this list of movies, this list of songs (one of four music posts so far), and this list of children’s books (compiled by my friend Sarah Miller from Can We Read?)—all related to intrinsic motivation, of course.
I also want to put together a list of books, and I need your help! Please share the books that have made you think about intrinsic motivation, literally or metaphorically or tangentially. Novels, poetry, non-fiction, textbooks, your cousin’s PhD thesis, your toddler’s favourite board book: lay it all on me! (I’m especially after fiction from outside the US and the UK.)
I’ll get us started in the comments by listing a few Why Would Anyone posts centred on books and their authors. You can also send your ideas in reply to this (or any of my) email(s).
I think both What Do You Do With a Problem and What Do You Do With an Idea by Kobi Yamata get at themes of intrinsic motivation for kids.
First of all, I LOVE that gif! So perfect. (And thanks for the shoutout!)
Books: anything by Gretchen Rubin. The Happiness Project specifically, but all of her work falls into the intrinsic motivation category.
Also, I think one could make the argument for The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart.
I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time by Laura Vanderkam.
Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky.
De Paulo Coelho "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" Published May 23rd 2006
Two memoirs I mentioned:
#34: 🥾Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012)
https://tania.substack.com/p/034
#29 & #27: 📓Nora Ephron, The Most of Nora Ephron (2013)
https://tania.substack.com/p/029
https://tania.substack.com/p/027
Four Q&As/podcast interviews I published with nonfiction writers:
#77: 🔉Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2010)
https://tania.substack.com/p/077
#70: ✔️Ayelet Fishbach, Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation (2022)
https://tania.substack.com/p/070
#54: 🔉Nir Eyal, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (2019)
https://tania.substack.com/p/054
#46: 📈Ruth Gotian, The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak BusinessPerformance (2022)
https://tania.substack.com/p/046