2 ms·

> The idea is that when we commit to something publicly, we are more likely to stick with it. Didn't this turn out to be a myth (and indeed have the opposite i

> The idea is that when we commit to something publicly, we are more likely to stick with it. Didn't this turn out to be a myth (and indeed have the opposite intended effect)? I can't find any definitive sources but here's the first result off of Google: http://lifehacker.com/5921478/shhh-keeping-quiet-may-help-you-achieve-your-goals http://lifehacker.com/5921478/shhh-keeping-quiet-may-help-yo... Do you have any sources that argue the opposite?

ErikVandeWater 10y ago
This was a primary consideration in the design of the site. I should clarify the difference between goals on this site and the goals in your article. This site is designed for you to share your goals on a daily basis (what are you going to get done today). The article is correct that long term goals, like in the article are goals that you should mostly keep to yourself. Essentially the reason why you should not share your long term goals with others is that it lets you imagine how much better your life will be in the future (and expectation of reward is effectively the same as the reward itself). However, short term goals aren't rewarding in the same way. If I tell you I'm going to get up at 5:30am tomorrow, there isn't really an implicit reward or a belief that my life will be substantially different for having done so (but if someone told you they are going to lose 50 pounds in the next year, there would be) . The site also doesn't enable rewards for creating a goal itself, but only for accomplishing it. Finally, sharing goals with others in real life is different from using this site. In real life, your friend isn't going to call you out if you fail to accomplish your goal a day/month/year from now. But you will be reminded of your failure and others' knowledge of your failure on this site.

2 ms·

> The idea is that when we commit to something publicly, we are more likely to stick with it. Didn't this turn out to be a myth (and indeed have the opposite i

by paraknight 10y ago

ErikVandeWater 10y ago
This was a primary consideration in the design of the site. I should clarify the difference between goals on this site and the goals in your article. This site is designed for you to share your goals on a daily basis (what are you going to get done today). The article is correct that long term goals, like in the article are goals that you should mostly keep to yourself. Essentially the reason why you should not share your long term goals with others is that it lets you imagine how much better your life will be in the future (and expectation of reward is effectively the same as the reward itself). However, short term goals aren't rewarding in the same way. If I tell you I'm going to get up at 5:30am tomorrow, there isn't really an implicit reward or a belief that my life will be substantially different for having done so (but if someone told you they are going to lose 50 pounds in the next year, there would be) . The site also doesn't enable rewards for creating a goal itself, but only for accomplishing it. Finally, sharing goals with others in real life is different from using this site. In real life, your friend isn't going to call you out if you fail to accomplish your goal a day/month/year from now. But you will be reminded of your failure and others' knowledge of your failure on this site.