I started about thinking about motivation a lot this year and I see that in fact it is very hard to define it . In my mind it is obvious that a developer has to be well paid enough to not think about money issues too much but also that financial incentives do not work once you reach the "I can afford to live well no matter who I work for" status.
As Joel put it in order to motivate developers you need to give them a better work environment then they have at home and this means either hire really poor developers or give them a top work environment.
And I started evaluating other tools for organization that is the famous "Pomodoro technique" which I find very interesting even in a interruption prone environment because it teaches you to stay focused and also deal with interruptions comfortably.
The good news about having your colleagues leaving is that the great open-space is a lot more quiet so quiet that it is strange but the bad news is that management is so shocked nothing gets done around the base.
The weird stuff is still that my monitor is still placed in everyone's view and that I still feel like a rat under observation and that makes me browse StackOverflow or loose time on the internet on purpose .. more than I would in a more comfortable situation.
So as I want to finish my SCEA assignment and essay by June 27th I realise that I am a lot more motivated when I pay money for something.
I invested 535 Euro's in this certification and I want it done :) . I look at ways to improve the diagrams , to analyse the system and to improve it generally as much as possible. And I will not be paid .. but my efforts will (hopefully) be recognized.
On the other hand I was thinking about what level of salary would motivate me to actually deliver working solutions .. the sad part is that I would strive more out of professional pride (one I pass a certain level and I am close to it) then for money.
You can always fake your motivation but your pride is something you can't fake.
I will also post the youtube link here.
