Habit technique · Commitment · A few minutes

A commitment device

Level: Advanced · Free — no account needed to read

Set up something now that makes the easy wrong choice harder later — a savings account you can’t easily touch, a class paid in advance, an app blocker at set hours.

Why it may help

Your calm self protects your future self from a tempting moment by changing the options in advance.

When to use it

• Temptations that reliably win in the moment
• Money, screen time, snacking

How to apply it

1. Name the tempting moment.
2. Choose a restriction you’d genuinely accept.
3. Set it up now.
4. Review after a few weeks.

An example

Leo’s savings move automatically on payday, before he can spend them.

The common mistake

Choosing a device so harsh you abandon it — or one that could harm you if things change.

Practise it

Set up one gentle commitment device.

What the evidence says

Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.

Commitment devices can help, as in a trial where a forfeitable savings account supported quitting smoking, but many people don’t choose them and some over-commit. A well-known study on self-imposed deadlines was retracted and is not relied on here.

Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 1.9, 14.1.

Sources

• Bryan, Karlan & Nelson (2010). Commitment Devices. Annual Review of Economics. doi:10.1146/annurev.economics.102308.124324
• Giné, Karlan & Zinman (2010). Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. doi:10.1257/app.2.4.213