After hitting on a brilliant new life plan, our first instinct is to tell someone, but Derek Sivers says it’s better to keep goals secret. He presents research stretching as far back as the 1920s to show why people who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them.

What motivates people to work?  Can people be given incentives to improve performance on the job?

Rewards narrow our focus and can help motivate us in certain situations.  If the job is simple, physical these motivators can do wonders.  But for creative tasks, thought based tasks, it is a different story.

When creativity is involved – rewards, bonuses, and the like lead to poorer performance.

What motivates people at work?  You need to look at what that work is.