Can we talk to you for just a second? Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad, but ….

We get it, feedback can be dreadful. At their worst, notes can feel like ambushes, anxiety inducers, or long-winded speeches from leaders. But for managers, providing employees with thoughtful reviews is essential.

This week, Kellogg’s Leigh Thompson taps into management science to find the best time to give feedback. Plus, Kellogg’s Rima Touré-Tillery offers research-backed advice on motivation.

Finding the right time for feedback

When it comes to tricky conversations, timing is everything.

In The Wall Street Journal, Leigh Thompson recently shared several bits of advice on delivering good feedback. Her first note? “Do it early.”

According to Thompson, the J. Jay Gerber Professor of Dispute Resolution & Organizations, one study found that people have a higher tolerance for physical pain in the morning, suggesting employees might be more receptive to a critique earlier in the day. Additionally, decision fatigue could make these conversations more difficult later in the day.

Wait until Tuesday (or Wednesday, or even Thursday) to say something to an employee. Transitioning from the “Sunday scaries” of the weekend can make Monday feedback more anxiety-inducing and employees more reticent. Friday feedback has pitfalls too and “can leave employees ruminating over the weekend,” says Thompson.

Try not to make a big event out of these talks, either. Make it a regular thing. Thompson, citing Gallup, suggests “employees who receive meaningful feedback at least once a week are more engaged.” And make sure these engagements don’t feel like ambushes.

“Research on effective coaching, moreover, suggests feedback should be given in a structured setting rather than in ad hoc, emotionally charged moments,” says Thompson. “This ensures that employees are in the right mindset to hear, digest, and act on the input.”

But remember: exercise quality over quantity, too. Regular feedback can help, but save long talks for broader reviews. Short, well-structured conversations work. Having clear entry points and positive reinforcement at the ready can go a long way.

Read the full article in The Wall Street Journal.

“Good morning, Mr. Motivation!”

However we choose to motivate ourselves, a universal truth is that it’s difficult to keep it up. Achieving career goals, for instance, requires years of persistence, often in the face of setbacks.

“Motivation is tough,” suggests Kellogg’s Rima Touré-Tillery. “What makes people more likely to sustain motivation over time?”

In the context of fitness goals, Touré-Tillery researched whether people’s tendency to give objects human traits—called anthropomorphism—might help them stay motivated.

The findings showed that people who associate their exercise equipment with human traits are not only more willing to work out, but for a longer period of time and with greater intensity.

Why does making friends with a machine work? Touré-Tillery’s research suggests that it provides people with a sense of companionship and makes a task feel more enjoyable. For companies, the features—like a smiling face or a voice that talks in the first person—are relatively easy to incorporate into customer-facing interfaces.

Yet there are limits. “If the personality of the object comes across as too bossy, then anthropomorphism becomes more a mechanism for monitoring, tracking, or supervising, which essentially kills the fun that is such an important driver of motivation,” Touré-Tillery says.

Read more—and get ideas for giving your Peloton a good personality—at Kellogg Insight.