Two days before Friday versus 2 days from today: How future (vs. present) anchors in deadlines increase goal achievement
研究发现，用未来锚点（如“周五前两天”）描述截止日期比用现在锚点（如“从今天起两天后”）更能促进人们按时完成任务，因为未来锚点让人感觉时间更充裕。
Abstract While deadlines are routinely used as a strategy to achieve goals, the way these deadlines are described has been relatively overlooked in terms of their influence on decision‐making. We examined the unique effect of future (vs. present) anchors in deadlines on ones' goal achievement. A field study shows that a deadline with a future anchor encourages people to complete a task more effectively within the deadline than a deadline with a present anchor (Study 1). In Study 2, we further demonstrated the positive effect of future (vs. present) anchors on individuals' goal achievement in a more controlled lab setting. Study 3 provided support for our mechanism by examining individuals' perceived time availability until the deadline underlies this effect. Studies 4 and 5 delved deeper, investigating our mechanism by examining individuals' dispositional time value as an important moderator. This research enriches our understanding of time perception and decision‐making, and offers valuable insights on how to strategically deal with deadlines to enhance one's goal achievement.