The Effect of Reminders for Self-Set Goals on Productivity

We examine how reminders for self-set goals influence productivity by analyzing
data from 10,187 volunteer agricultural extension workers in Rwanda. We elicited
workers’ goals and experimentally varied their salience through text reminders. Due
to unforeseen logistical delays, approximately half of the treatment group received
reminders after completing their tasks. We find that goal reminders received during
the regular working period increased a productivity index by 0.08 standard deviations,
while reminders sent late had no effect. Further analysis of heterogeneity by goal
ambition quartiles reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship: reminders are effective
for goals in the second and third quartiles, but ineffective for low or excessively high
goals. These results suggest that workers who set ambitious yet realistic goals are more
likely to respond to reminders and increase productivity, consistent with prior evidence
on externally set goals.