Manufacture urgency

 

I applied for a grant this year and the granters shared that 90% of the applications were submitted just 2 days before the deadline! 

This isn't uncommon. The majority of people are deadline-driven. We do a chore whenever it's urgent and absolutely necessary (unless it's a recurring habit or routine).

This is why creating urgency and setting a deadline is key for your own personal endeavors and when you expect others to do something. But our brains aren't that easy to trick. They know when a deadline is fake. So you need to make it as real and consequential as possible. 

This is why retailers have limited-time offers and sales - to force a buying decision or miss out on a great offer. This is why it's important to set a target response date whether you are fundraising or hiring someone. This is why you are more likely to succeed if you sign up for half marathons or business targets. 

Deadlines convert something that's only important to something urgent and important so that Eisenhower will command it. 

Notes: 

1. Only chores are subject to this behavior. We do a lot of absolutely unnecessary things often if they are fun and easy. So that's another trick - make important things fun and easy.