In the mid-90s, Heloise and I moved into a tiny flat in central London.

It didn’t have much in the way of furniture.

So we bought a set of IKEA bookshelves.

This was my first experience of flatpack furniture – and I went into it full of naïve optimism, thinking…

“How hard can this be?”

A few hours later, I was red-faced and shouting at the instruction manual.

I realised I’d assembled the side panels around the wrong way round – (and upside down!) – so that I would have to undo everything and start again.

Another few hours later I’d finished the cabinet PLUS a bottle of red wine.

Weirdly, there was a large number of screws left over.

“Oh well,” I thought, tipping them into a drawer, “They probably give you too many on purpose.”

That night, at 2am, I was woken by a deafening crash.

My first thought was that a plane had fallen from the sky and smashed through the ceiling of the flat.

I ran into the living room to see what was left of my book cabinet…

It was a shattered mess of wooden panels.

TOTAL FAILURE!

I was embarrassed but put it down to the fact that – at the time – I was a party-loving arty type who was more into reading books than building bookshelves.

From that day on, I avoided anything DIY.

Our business took off after that, so I could afford to pay extra to have things assembled for me.

But then something changed…

A few years ago, I realised that working with my hands on physically-challenging projects was actually a hugely beneficial thing.

For me, at least…

It focussed my mind and attention on tackling challenges that didn’t come naturally to me.

I’ve laid out a garden path…. I’ve assembled raised beds… and I even built a flatpack shelving unit for my office – which is STILL STANDING!

Each time, I felt this extraordinary sense of reward afterward – more so than when I achieve something I’m already good at (like writing, graphic design or photography, for example).

It turns out there’s a name for this…

‘The IKEA Effect’.

The Motivational Power of Flat Pack Furniture

Psychologists have shown that when we invest effort into creating something — even if it’s clunky, flawed or not objectively ‘brilliant’ — we tend to value it more highly.

This is based on a proven principle known as ‘the Effort Heuristic’.

In one research study into this phenomenon, scientists found the people were willing to pay 63% more for IKEA furniture they’d built themselves than for identical pre-built items.

(This is why this principle is sometimes also called ‘The Ikea Effect’.)

I’m sure you’ve experienced it yourself…

It’s that feeling of satisfaction you might get from mowing the lawn, painting a wall, or cooking a Sunday roast…

Sure, the result might not be 100% perfect…

Perhaps you didn’t quite get the edges of the lawn straight… or the paint went over the edge in one spot… or the carrots were a little underdone…

But it’s something you achieved yourself, without special training or expertise, and so you feel a sense of pleasure about it.

Usually this comes with a feeling of wanting to do it again.

What’s more, when you lay your own patio, fix your own car or make your own scarf, you’re more likely to treat that object with more care than something bought pre-finished.

This is because you’ve become emotionally invested in it.

The IKEA effect also applies to how we judge other people’s efforts.

For example, if a friend gifts you a clay bowl they made themselves, but looks a bit wonky… you’d appreciate that gift much more than if they bought you a mass-produced bowl from Morrisons.

All very interesting!

But there’s a practical reason I’m sharing this with you,

Because the IKEA effect can be harnessed in your home business projects.

Have We Got Motivational Advice All Wrong?

Most people who are new to home business assume that they need to generate immense powers of motivation to get going.

And if that powerful urge doesn’t come, they think, “Ah, I just lack the motivation for this.”

However, what if that’s the wrong way round?

Rather than wait for motivation to come along FIRST…

What if motivation happens AFTERWARDS?

The IKEA Effect suggests that by putting in a big effort to make something – no matter how small, or shoddy the result – it generates a sense of emotional investment.

And that emotional investment is what keeps you coming back to improve it, build in it, and take pride in it.

So if you want to start a home business, don’t wait for motivation to strike like lightning. Instead, pick a small project and work on it for a short time.

Make sure it’s something that YOU actually carry out yourself – whether that’s writing, designing, brainstorming, researching or calculating.

The very act of getting yourself involved in a task will raise its perceived value in your mind. And the more valuable it feels, the more effort you’ll keep giving it…

This creates a ‘virtuous loop’ which looks a little like this.

Action → Satisfaction → Momentum → More Action → Satisfaction → Momentum

Another lesson we can learn from the IKEA effect is about perfectionism.

You see, a lot of people feel stuck when they’re at beginning of their online business journey because they think:

“I’m not good enough at this yet…”

“I’m worried that it’s not right…”

“I need more training….”

So they put things off, procrastinate, or wait until the time is right.

However, the IKEA effect shows that you don’t have to create a perfect product or service…

Just by putting the effort into making something yourself, you can generate a sense of excitement and pride in the result, even when it’s not perfect.

That sense of fulfilment is what’s going to move you to the next stage!

Furthermore, your customers don’t necessarily expect perfection either.

For example, if someone is subscribing to your newsletter about overcoming grief, the fact you’re putting your life experiences into this service will MORE than make up for clunky writing or design.

Or if you’ve got an Instagram account documenting your upcycled furniture, designed to help the world become more sustainable, they’re hardly going to be critical if your camera work is shaky, or you stutter a bit when you speak.

The key is to put that effort in, so that you (and your potential customers) become emotionally invested in the project.

This will more than make up for any little mistakes!

Which brings me to today’s challenge.

What’s YOUR Version of Flat Packed Furniture?

It’s likely that you have lots of options for tasks that you’ve been putting off… not unlike how I avoided flat pack furniture for two decades!

Possibly, you don’t think you have the skills for them…

Possibly, you can’t seem to get motivated…

Possibly, you’re waiting for the right time…

Well, if so, I challenge you to book a few hours this week and get something started, no matter how small.

It could be anything…

• Completing a course you started…
• Writing that PDF ‘how to’ guide…
• Listing that product on Etsy or Amazon…
• Planning out an eBook….
• Laying out a promotional sales page…
• Writing an email to a potential supplier.

Whatever it is, see if you can use that initial burst of effort to trigger a sense of motivation inside you.

Also try to observe how the act of taking on a challenge – even an uncomfortable one – makes you fall in love with it a little bit more!

When you get that feeling, keep going, because that love should only get deeper.

Or if you still feel totally stuck right now, please email me and tell me why!