What happens to goals that are shelved? A 3-month longitudinal experience sampling study

Abstract To reduce goal conflict and promote goal success, people sometimes shelve lower-priority goals to focus on higher-priority goals. Shelving a goal involves the decision to behaviorally withdraw from the goal for now, with the intention to readopt its pursuit in the future. What are motivational implications of shelving a goal? This 3-month longitudinal experience sampling study examined stability and change in motivational dimensions of shelved goals and shelving-related regret. The sample comprised university students ( N = 251) who had recently shelved a personal goal to prioritize their academic goal of obtaining their degree. Results suggests that across three months, participants valued the shelved goal less, thought less about the goal, experienced fewer goal-related opportunity costs, and reported lower shelving-related regret. These findings provide first longitudinal evidence that shelved goals are not motivationally “frozen” but are subject to change while sitting on the shelf.