( CNN ) -- What really motivates us ? And what motivational techniques lead us to work smarter and live better ? Those are questions that behavioral scientists around the world have been exploring for the past half-century . Their answers might surprise you . In laboratory experiments and field studies , a band of psychologists , sociologists and economists have found that many carrot-and-stick motivators -- the elements around which we build most of our businesses and many of our schools -- can be effective , but that they work in only a surprisingly narrow band of circumstances . For enduring motivation , the science shows , a different approach is more effective . This approach draws not on our biological drive or our reward-and-punishment drive , but on what we might think of as our third drive : Our innate need to direct our own lives , to learn and create new things , and to do better by ourselves and our world . In particular , high performance -- especially for the complex , conceptual tasks we 're increasingly doing on thejob -- depends far more on intrinsic motivators than on extrinsic ones . Read more about Daniel Pink 's talk at TEDGlobal2009 . With these conclusions in mind , here are a few ways to tap your third drive and enlist the science of motivation at work , with your children and in your personal life . WORK : Try a FedEx Day . The Australian software company Atlassian has an ingenious method for stoking innovation . Once a quarter , on a Thursday afternoon , they allow their developers to work on anything they want , any way they want and with whomever they want . The only requirement is that people have to show what they 've created to the rest of the company at a fun and spirited meeting 24 hours later . Atlassian calls these sessions `` FedEx Days '' because people have to deliver something overnight . These one-day bursts of autonomy have produced an array of fixes for existing software and ideas for new products that might not have emerged otherwise . This is n't management through carrots and sticks . It 's innovation through autonomy . You can give this a whirl at your organization . Set aside an entire day when employees can work on anything they choose , however they want , with whomever they 'd like . Make sure they have the tools and resources they need . And impose just one rule : People must deliver something -- a new idea , a prototype of a product , a better internal process -- the following day . The results might amaze you . CHILDREN : Give your children an allowance and some chores -- but do n't combine them . In the peculiar world of human motivation , sometimes adding two positives can give you a negative . Take the case of chores and allowances . Both are good . Chores show kids that families are built on mutual obligations and that all members need to help each other . Allowances teach kids to be responsible for , and manage , their own money . But combining the two is a big mistake . By linking money to the completion of chores , parents turn an allowance into what I call an `` if- then '' reward ( as in `` If you do this , then you get that . '' ) The science is very clear that `` if-then '' rewards , while effective in some circumstances , can trigger an avalanche of unintended consequences . In this case , the carrot of payment sends kids a clear ( and clearly wrongheaded ) message : In the absence of cash , no self-respecting child would willingly set the table , empty the garbage or make her own bed . It converts a moral andfamilial obligation into just another commercial transaction -- and teaches that the only reason to do a less-than-desirable task for your family is for payment . So keep allowance and chores separate , and you just might get that trash can emptied . Even better , your kids will begin to learn the difference between principles and payoffs . PERSONAL : Find your sentence . Clare Booth Luce , one of the first women to serve in Congress , once said , `` a great man is a sentence . '' What she meant was that anybody who ever achieved anything of enduring significance was n't running in 17 directions at once . Those who leave left a lasting imprint -- not just on their country , but also on their families and communities -- are animated by a singular purpose . One of the best ways to find your purpose is to ask yourself a variation of Luce 's question : What 's my sentence ? When all is said and done , how to do you wanted to be remembered ? How will the world be different because of your presence on it ? Your sentence need not be George Washington-esque in its scope . ( `` He led a revolution from tyranny and helped guide a young democracy . '' ) Maybe it 's `` she served every patient who came into her office whether or not that person could pay . '' Maybe it 's `` he taught two generations of children how to read . '' Maybe it 's `` she raised four children who are now happy and healthy adults . '' There are few better navigational tools than to find your North Star of purpose . So ask yourself : What 's my sentence ? You might find the answer motivating . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel Pink .
Our traditional idea of motivation is to encourage good behavior with money , Daniel Pink says . He says research shows that carrot - and - stick motivators work only in limited circumstances . He says many people live by need to be creative , productive , independent . He says teachers and parents can adopt better ways to motivate .