The Importance of Recognizing Progress

If you’ve ever added something you ALREADY DID to your to-do list just so you could cross it off, you already intuitively understand the Endowed Progress Effect.

The term was coined in 2006 by marketing researchers Joseph C. Nunes and Xavier Drèze, who found that giving people a sense of progress toward a goal can make them more motivated to finish it.

It’s a little behavioral science brain hack I’m currently using to help reach my own goals. (Those of you who know me well know that I love anything to do with behavioral science.) Essentially, whenever the path ahead feels a bit daunting, I take a moment to take stock of what I’ve already accomplished.

In marketing, the same principle can help motivate customers to take the next step. Loyalty programs, onboarding experiences, and even progress indicators can make a goal feel a little more attainable by showing people how far they've already come.

Apparently, there’s solid science behind why that helps motivate us to keep making progress toward our goals. So if you’re working toward something big, don’t forget to look back once in a while.