Temporal Theory
Developed by organizational theory researcher Piers Steel and psychologist Cornelius J. König as an integrative motivational theory, the temporal theory of motivation focuses on how time and responses to deadlines affect human motivation. This theory is interesting in regards to understanding procrastination and how the process of goal setting works within the human mind. Studies have shown that as a due date nears, motivation increases. In other words, this theory identifies procrastination as part of human nature because motivation is low when time is not of the essence. The temporal theory includes a formula to evaluate level of motivation:
Motivation = (Expectancy × Value) / (1 + [Impulsiveness × Delay])
The higher the expectancy (or your self-efficacy beliefs) and the higher the value of the expected outcome, the more likely that person is to have a high motivation to complete a task. In this context, self-efficacy is your own belief about their competence or ability to complete a task. People with low self-efficacy in terms of a certain task are much more likely to expend less effort early on and procrastinate, particularly if you minimally value the outcome of the task. This theory also investigates the idea that people with impulsivity problems tend to have little motivation to resist non-task related urges and, therefore, do not act quickly on tasks that have a far-out deadline.
Motivate Yourself
Once you have a clear understanding of yourself and your goals, you can be more confident in not only making big life choice but stay consistent with your day-to-day actions. In order to know yourself on a deeper level, you must first understand what motivates you. Understanding what drives you can be a significant part of becoming more successful, fulfilled, and self-aware.
