What Donation Behavior Teaches Us About Procrastination
How Donation Decisions Mirror Our Tendency to Postpone
Ever notice how a photo of one hungry child tugs at your wallet, but a plea to "end world hunger" makes you scroll past? It’s not that we don’t care—it’s that big problems feel impossible to solve. This same dynamic plays out in our daily lives. We procrastinate not because we’re lazy, but because some tasks feel too overwhelming to even start.
But what if the way we give (or don’t) reveals a hidden key to overcoming procrastination?
This hit me while reading Poor Economics by Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Their work on poverty and decision-making made me connect the dots between how we donate and why we put things off. A 2007 study on giving offers a surprising insight: we’re more likely to act when a problem feels personal and solvable. And that insight doesn’t just apply to charity—it’s a practical strategy for getting things done.
The Identifiable Victim Effect in Giving Donation
In 2007, researchers Deborah Small, George Loewenstein, and Paul Slovic ran an experiment on donation behavior. One group of participants saw statistics about millions of hungry children. Another saw a single girl—Rokia, a seven-year-old from Mali struggling to eat.
The results? The group that saw statistics donated an average of $1.17. The group that saw Rokia’s story gave more than double—$2.38.
This "identifiable victim effect" shows we’re wired to respond to problems that feel concrete and solvable. Large-scale issues, no matter how urgent, feel abstract. Our brains disengage.
This isn’t just about giving—it’s a reflection of how we approach anything difficult. In Poor Economics, Banerjee and Duflo found that people were more likely to use malaria bed nets when given an immediate, tangible incentive, like a free net or a small reward. The broad goal of "ending malaria" didn’t drive action.
Why? Because our brains are wired for small, achievable wins. When we see a clear finish line—helping one girl, getting one free bed net—we act. When the goal feels too big, we freeze.
Why Big Goals Paralyze Us
Thousands of years ago, survival meant prioritizing quick, certain payoffs—hunting one animal, not solving food scarcity. That instinct is still with us.
A bite-sized problem like feeding Rokia? Feels doable.
A massive goal like "end world hunger"? Feels impossible, so we check out.
The same logic applies to procrastination. We avoid tasks that feel endless:
Writing a 10-page report
Organizing the garage
Saving for a house
But we’ll handle a quick email, clean one shelf, or pay a small bill—because those feel achievable.
Banerjee and Duflo’s research supports this. People delay preventive health measures when the benefits seem far off or uncertain. The same is true for personal goals. "Get fit" or "learn Spanish" are vague and intimidating, so we ignore them. Our brains crave clear, immediate wins.
So what’s your "malaria-sized" task—the thing you keep avoiding because it feels too big to tackle? A career change? A home renovation? Even just catching up on laundry?
The way we donate gives us a way out.
Breaking the Procrastination Cycle
The same trick that makes us donate to Rokia can help us beat procrastination. Specific, emotionally engaging tasks feel manageable, so we act.
Instead of "learn Spanish," try "learn five phrases today."
Instead of "get fit," try "walk 10 minutes this morning."
Instead of "write a novel," try "draft one scene tonight."
Small wins build momentum. Write one scene today, and tomorrow you might write two. Walk 10 minutes now, and next week it’s 15. Over time, those micro-goals stack up.
This isn’t just a productivity hack—it’s how human motivation works. Poor Economics shows that small nudges drive real behavior change. In one study, offering a handful of lentils for vaccinations dramatically increased immunization rates. Why? Because the reward was immediate and tangible.
We can use the same principle.
Instead of trying to "fix your finances," start by setting up automatic savings for $10 a week.
Instead of "get organized," just clean one drawer.
Instead of "launch a business," write down one idea.
The takeaway? Charities don’t ask you to solve hunger—they ask you to feed one child for $10. The same approach can turn procrastination into progress.
Take The First Step
We stall on huge, abstract goals, but jump into action when the task feels specific and doable. A 2007 donation study proves it. Poor Economics confirms it.
So pick one "Rokia-sized" task you’ve been avoiding. Reply to that email. Tidy one drawer. Pay one bill.
A single small step can break the cycle. And once you start, you might just keep going.