Managing Motivation Over Time: How Focusing on the Present versus Future Influences Goal Pursuit

Many of consumers’ goals persist over long periods of time. Saving for retirement and being healthy, for instance, cannot be achieved in one night. These and other ‘ongoing’ goals (e.g., being successful in one’s line of work, having close relationships with family) require that consumers behave consistently with their goal in the present but also well into the future, and potentially for a lifetime. Given the long-term nature of ongoing goals, one might expect looking ahead to the future (rather than simply focusing on the present) would be critical for achieving successful outcomes. Indeed, consumers’ propensity to plan for the future predicts wealth accumulation (Ameriks, Caplan, and Leahy 2003) and satisfaction upon retirement (Elder and Rudolph 1999). Alternatively, focusing on goal pursuit in the future might make the goal ‘loom large’, or seem broader in scope. If consumers feel overwhelmed by goal pursuit, they may be more likely to disengage. When will focusing on goal pursuit in the present versus future be motivating versus demotivating?