Whip out your calculator when you set your goals: Counting the number of days until your deadline may help you make progress sooner, suggests new research from University of Southern California.
Researchers asked people when they thought they should start saving money for life events like retirement. The study participants were told that the event was either years away—say, 18—or days away—6,570. The people who knew the number of days planned to start saving four times sooner than those who thought of their goals as years away.
That's because counting down the days—even if it's thousands of them—makes the future feel close and in need of current attention, explains lead researcher Daphna Oyserman, PhD.
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While the study focused on saving money, the strategy can be applied to any goal, Oyserman says. For example, if you want to lose weight for a vacation next year, it's easy to feel like you can put off your diet and exercise regimen, he says. But knowing that you'll be shirtless on the beach 349 days from now makes you want to hit the gym ASAP.
So next time you make plans for the future, tally up the days. It may be enough to spur you into action sooner, Oyserman says—and that means you may be closer to your target as the countdown approaches zero.