How To Break From The "I'll Do It Later" Trap

Oct 02, 2024

Hello Reader,

This paper investigates whether highlighting the duration of a task can help people overcome procrastination and complete it sooner.

What is it?

It challenges the popular notion that merely considering a task's duration reduces procrastination, backed by techniques like the "2-minute rule."

The research explores how emphasizing task duration influences task delay, defined as voluntarily postponing a task.

Task duration salience reduces delay for short tasks: Across 4+ studies using scenarios involving tasks like consenting to data policies, scheduling appointments, writing reviews, & providing feedback, the researchers found that emphasizing task duration (e.g., "it will take about 3 minutes") decreased the likelihood of procrastination, but only for relatively short tasks that can be completed in one sitting.
Strengthened implemental mindset as the mechanism: Highlighting task duration appears to activate the "implemental mindset," a cognitive orientation focused on how to do a task rather than whether to do it. This shift in mindset promotes action and reduces procrastination.
Information evaluability as a boundary condition: The positive effect was observed only when task duration information was presented in an easily understandable and evaluable format (e.g., minutes).

The Psych Handbook has 150+ biases & fallacies explained with emojis!

Considering task duration can be a useful tool, but with limitations: Simply highlighting how long a task takes is not a guaranteed solution for procrastination, particularly for longer or more complex tasks.
The way duration is presented matters: Information evaluability is crucial. The more easily people can grasp the magnitude of the duration, the more effective it is in reducing delay.
The implemental mindset is key: Focusing on the how of task completion can shift people out of a deliberative mindset and into action.

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