Why Is Autonomy Important?

The concept of autonomy is critically important to me in many contexts. Autonomy is our ability to be self-directed, independent and free from outside control. More specifically, Pink described autonomy in his book, Drive, as a concept that people become more productive as long as they are able to make choices between other factors: time, task, team, and technique.

Being given the freedom to choose one's own direction in life is basic to human nature along with relatedness and competence. While both of the latter are important in fulfilling our needs to be productive, respected, and an important part of our social network, the idea of autonomy is one of significance due to its ability to contribute to our feeling of competence and also in a larger construct of relating to others. By making choices we define what is important and many factors combine to help me identify what choices will ultimately be the right ones to move forward and relate positively and connect in meaningful ways with others. Maslow's hierarchy of
When I am given a task (like clean my room or do my homework) I take into account various factors to determine how and when to be productive (time) and use skills to complete the work. It tends to shift slightly when there is a team involved. Working as a team is important but having the autonomy to make the right choices on how to interact with people and tasks makes me feel like I am accomplishing so much more than simply being told to go do something. I think autonomy had lead to a higher levels in regard to my self-confidence. I know that I procrastinate sometimes, but I get things done. Working almost full-time and taking a full-load of college courses has really helped me be more focused and I use my time wisely. I take in the outside factors (or forces) and make my decisions on a regular