Journalism of Courage
Advertisement
Premium

Why some tasks never take off from to-do lists

People are more likely to begin a job when, from a time perspective, it appears to be a part of the present.

If you find certain tasks occupying a permanent position in your to-do lists, it has to do with your perception of time, says a study.

People are more likely to begin a job when, from a time perspective, it appears to be a part of the present, the findings showed.

On the other hand, they are less likely to start work on assignments that seem to be part of the future.

“The key step in getting things done is getting started. If you never get started, you cannot possibly finish,” said Yanping Tu from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the US.

“But that urgency, that need to actually work on a task, happens when that task is seen as part of a person’s present,” Tu explained.

For the study, Tu and her co-author Dilip Soman of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management conducted a series of studies to support their theory.

“We have shown how goals are perceived in time are clearly linked to people’s views of when and whether to begin work,” Tu added.

The study appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research.


📣 For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on Instagram
Tags:
  • lifestyle
Edition
Install the Express App for
a better experience
Featured
Trending Topics
News
Multimedia
Follow Us
Express ExclusiveAIIMS study: 6 in 10 top Indian doctors not trained to certify brain death, hurting organ donation
X