Commitment devices are tools that try to cement future behavior, ways for an eager ‘present self’ to control the behavior of a ‘future self’ that may not want to do the behavior. Commitment devices can have varying strengths. On the stronger side, some financial tools lock money and impose fines on accessing the money. On the weaker side, an individual could say they intend to do something, but there are no penalties if they do not.
To encourage someone to do an action in the future, create a commitment device.
Consider if the actor could publicly declare or sign a personal statement of their intention to follow a specific behavior.
Consider if there are ways a person can ‘lock’ their behavior. For example, financial tools that do not allow withdrawals except in specific circumstances.
