You're correct that you don't need an automatic scale, but it's worth pointing out that the parent specifically got his because it removed all of the barriers t

You're correct that you don't need an automatic scale, but it's worth pointing out that the parent specifically got his because it removed all of the barriers to creating/maintaining his source of motivation. Doing it on his own wouldn't have been difficult per se, but doing it consistently in a way that he knew was useful was not the problem he was trying to solve so he eliminated it altogether.