Charlotte Cordes

Abstract: Procrastination is often attributed to time-inconsistent preferences but may also arise when individuals derive anticipatory utility from holding optimistic beliefs about their future effort costs. This study provides a rigorous empirical test for this notion of  ‘motivated procrastination’.  In a longitudinal experiment over four weeks, individuals must complete a cumbersome task of unknown length. We find that exogenous variation in scope for motivated reasoning results in optimistic beliefs among workers, which causally increase the deferral of work to the future. The roots for biased beliefs stem from motivated memory, such that procrastination may persist even if uncertainty is eventually resolved.

Abstract: The use of mobile phone-based informational programs is popular and widespread, but their effectiveness is usually limited. We study engagement with these programs as a potential limiting factor and test whether behavioral interventions can increase engagement. We conceptualize learning as a long-term project consisting of many costly tasks, each of which is of limited importance in itself but critical for project completion. In such a setting, procrastination and forgetting can prevent project completion. In theory, procrastination and forgetting can be mitigated with deadlines and reminders, but a combination of the two might be needed to address both issues effectively.  Based on a theoretical framework, the project empirically assesses the effectiveness of deadlines, reminders, and, most importantly, a combination of the two in increasing program engagement. We use a field experiment with farmers in Kenya with high-frequency data to estimate effects on task completion, dynamics toward project completion, and learning outcomes.