How Anticipated Temporal Landmarks Undermine Motivation for Continued Goal Pursuit

Moments that elicit feelings of a “fresh start” have been shown to spur goal initiation. However, successful goal pursuit requires not only goal initiation but also persistent effort investment. While prior work has focused on the motivating effects of temporal landmarks as a type of fresh start on the initiation of a goal, the current research draws attention to a dark side of temporal landmarks by examining the effect of anticipated temporal landmarks on motivation to persist in an ongoing goal. Across an archival study using Internet search data and four experiments, we find that when an upcoming temporal landmark becomes salient, individuals perceive their current and future selves as two separate agents, delegate responsibility to their future self, and thus exert less effort to pursue their ongoing goals. This ironic effect of “fresh starts” is mitigated when individuals are reminded of contributions they have made to the goal.