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The Incentives Lab
HBT-TIM-0012 · Dimension TIM · Time

Time Bias

Our decisions are influenced by when events occur or when we evaluate them.

Decision·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Our decisions are influenced by when events occur or when we evaluate them.

Plain-English Definition

Our decisions are influenced by when events occur or when we evaluate them.

Feynman Explanation

The timing of a question changes the answer.

Core Principle

Our decisions are influenced by when events occur or when we evaluate them.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Our decisions are influenced by when events occur or when we evaluate them.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Meeting timing and decision fatigue shape outcomes.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

The timing of a question changes the answer.

Examples

Everyday
  • A decision made at the end of a long meeting differs from one made fresh.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Meeting timing and decision fatigue shape outcomes.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Schedule critical decisions when people are fresh and alert.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Meeting timing and decision fatigue shape outcomes.
Amplifying Incentives
Meeting timing and decision fatigue shape outcomes.
Org Failure Modes
Meeting timing and decision fatigue shape outcomes.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Schedule critical decisions when people are fresh and alert.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Schedule critical decisions when people are fresh and alert.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Schedule critical decisions when people are fresh and alert.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-TIM-0012 · TIM
Time Bias
TBHaHabitQDQuasi-Hyperbolic (β-…CoCompoundingDRDiscount RateFSFuture Self ContinuityKHKeystone HabitMVMaker vs. Manager TimePDPath DependenceRSRepresentational Sys…RHRepresentativeness H…

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.

Same family
HBT-TIM-0004Habit

An automatic action triggered by a stable cue — built through repetition.

Same family
HBT-TIM-0008Quasi-Hyperbolic (β-δ) Discounting

A present-bias kink (β) on top of exponential discounting (δ): immediate rewards get a bonus, all future rewards trade normally.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0003Future Self Continuity

How vividly we connect to our future self predicts long-term decision quality.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0006Maker vs. Manager Time

Creative work needs blocks of hours; managerial work runs on 30-minute slices. They destroy each other when mixed.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0013Time Blocking

Pre-allocate every hour to a category before the day starts.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0014Time Discounting

The relative valuation we place on rewards now vs. later — and how steeply we discount.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0015Time Line Therapy

Tad James's extension of NLP working with how the unconscious organizes past, present, and future spatially to release stuck emotion.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0001Compounding

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0002Discount Rate

How much we value the present over the future.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0005Keystone Habit

A single habit whose adoption cascades into many other behavior changes.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0007Path Dependence

Where you can go is constrained by where you've been.

Same domain
HBT-TIM-0009Representational Systems

People preferentially process experience visually, auditorily, or kinesthetically. Match the channel; match the mind.

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.