Mere Urgency Effect
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
People tend to prioritize tasks that are "urgent" with deadlines, even if these tasks have low rewards; and procrastinate on "important" tasks without deadlines, even if the rewards are high.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Optimize task prioritization. It explains why we are always busy replying to emails (urgent but inefficient) instead of writing a book or exercising (important but not urgent). The way to counter it is to artificially set "fake" urgent deadlines for important tasks.
Anchor fast decisions
Deadlines create an immediate sense of "urgency" that captures attention and priority, while important tasks without deadlines lack temporal cues and are systematically postponed; the brain reacts more strongly to "imminent deadlines" than to "high rewards".
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/4Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- doi.orghttps://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy008verified
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