Keep the Middle Short
Beat the motivation slump by shrinking goal windows so there's no long middle to sag in
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 80%
Fishbach's research shows motivation follows a U-shape: high enthusiasm at the beginning, renewed push near the end, and a slump in the middle where people cut corners and do less. In a study of Hanukkah menorah lighting, many people lit candles on the first and last nights but skipped the middle. College dropouts cluster in the first two years, when each year of effort buys only a fraction of the degree. The fix is structural, not motivational: keep the middle short by shrinking the goal window. A weekly exercise goal beats a monthly one; monthly saving beats annual. Each short window is its own goal with its own energizing start and finish, so you're never stranded in a long, demotivating middle. Concrete targets amplify effort, but must be set carefully because people will game them.
Origin
Drawn from Ayelet Fishbach's motivation research at the University of Chicago on the 'middle problem' and goal-gradient effects, including a field study of Hanukkah menorah lighting in Israel.
Core principles
- 01Motivation is high at the start and near the end, and sags in the middle.
- 02People cut corners and do lower-quality work in the middle of any goal.
- 03Short goals have short middles, so shrink the window.
- 04A weekly goal is a series of fresh goals, each with its own energetic start and end.
- 05Targets are powerful but can be gamed, so set them thoughtfully.
How to run it
- 1
Recognize the middle problem
Accept that motivation reliably dips in the middle of any goal, where you're no longer excited by the start and not yet pulled by the finish. This is when people cut corners and do lower-quality work.
- 2
Shrink the goal window
Replace long horizons with short ones: a weekly exercise goal instead of monthly, monthly saving instead of annual. Short goals have short middles, so there's little room to slump.
Pro tip Say 'exercise three times every week,' never 'exercise 150 times this year.'
- 3
Treat each window as its own goal
This week's exercise is one complete goal; next week's is a separate goal you'll pursue again. Each gets its own motivating beginning and end.
- 4
Add progress markers and a target
Place milestones along the way and attach a specific target number, since targets demonstrably pull effort, the way marathon runners bunch just under four hours.
Pro tip A number just under a round threshold reads as a win; just over reads as a loss, and people work to avoid the loss.
- 5
Guard the target against gaming
Because any shortcut to hitting the number will be taken, set targets thoughtfully and remember their only purpose is to make you pursue the real goal, not to be met at any cost.
Watch out Over-attachment to a number leads to corner-cutting, like dropping water weight before a weigh-in or Wells Fargo's cross-selling scandal.
In the wild
Fishbach studied people in Israel lighting Hanukkah candles across eight consecutive nights. Many lit the menorah on the first night, and many again on the eighth and final night. But in the middle nights, participation dropped noticeably, showing that people cut corners precisely when neither the start nor the end is in view.
→ Demonstrated the 'middle problem': adherence sags in the middle of any multi-step goal.
Marathon finishing times cluster just under round thresholds like four hours, with far more runners finishing at 3:59 than at 4:01. Running 3:59 isn't easier than 4:01; runners push because getting under their target time reads as achieving the goal, while a minute over reads as a loss.
→ Shows how a concrete target reshapes effort right at the finish line.
Common mistakes
Setting long-horizon goals
Annual or yearly goals create a huge demotivating middle; shorter windows keep energy high because the finish is always near.
Over-attaching to the target number
Treating the metric as the goal invites shortcuts that satisfy the number while betraying the real objective, like drinking less water to hit a weigh-in.
Is it for you?
Best for
Recurring or long-duration goals like saving, exercise, or projects that span months or a year.
Not ideal for
Very short all-or-nothing goals that have almost no middle to begin with.
From the transcript
“keep middle short okay a weekly exercise goal is better than a monthly exercise goal”
“so people cut corners in the middle uh people do less of good work”
“if there is a shortcut we should suspect that we are going to take the shortcut”
From the episode
The Psychology Of Human Motivation - Ayelet Fishbach - #447
Ayelet Fishbach