Theory

Small, individual tasks are far less daunting than big ones. The way in which tasks are presented and broken down affects how motivated we are to start and finish them.

Example

Companies like Ryanair offer the entire purchasing process in chunks. They offer you a low ‘seat price’, and the lock you in the process. Getting you excited about your trip. Then, once you have decided where to go, you begin to form a mental commitment. Once this happens, it’s very unlikely that you’ll change your mind about the purchase.

And at this moment they start to add the extra charges in ‘chunks’. By the time you get to the full cost of your flight, you have put so much effort into the booking process, and are so attached to the idea of the holiday, that you would rather complete the purchase at a cost significantly higher than the initial seat price than write off the investment of your time and emotion.