Frame Deadlines With Remaining Time

Suppose that today is July 10.

You could frame a 5-day deadline as:

• Due in 5 days.
• Due on July 15.

Remaining time (e.g., in 5 days) is more motivating.

A 2-week goal to lose weight was more motivating with remaining time (e.g., within 2 weeks) rather than calendar dates (e.g., between now and July 15; Munichor & LeBoeuf, 2018).

And this effect has been replicated with other contexts (e.g., coupons, longer durations of 120 days; Jeong et al., 2023).

Why It Works

• Calendars Trigger Obligations. July 15 depicts a calendar with finite slots, reminding people of their competing obligations (Munichor & LeBoeuf, 2018).
• Deadline Feels Closer. July 15 feels stationary, while 5 days feels like it's moving closer with greater urgency (Xu et al., 2023).

How to Apply

• Frame Deadlines in Remaining Days. Sale ends in 2 days.
• Describe Time With Motion. Say "the deadline is approaching' instead of "we're approaching the deadline."

• Jeong, Y., Hwang, S., & Suk, K. (2023). Ten days (vs. May 10) make you rush: The effect of time descriptions on task scheduling. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 53(2), 121-133.
• Munichor, N., & LeBoeuf, R. A. (2018). The influence of time-interval descriptions on goal-pursuit decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(2), 291-303.
• Xu, X., Jia, M., & Chen, R. (2023). Time moving or ego moving? How time metaphors influence perceived temporal distance. Journal of Consumer Psychology.