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My startup is all about solving this problem! http://beeminder.com http://beeminder.com It's specifically for lifehacking data nerds (so probably most people h
by dreeves 13y ago
My startup is all about solving this problem! http://beeminder.com http://beeminder.com
It's specifically for lifehacking data nerds (so probably most people here on HN) and the idea is to combine a quantified self tool with a commitment contract. Specifically, you pledge (actual money) that you'll keep all your datapoints on a "yellow brick road" to your goal and if you don't, we charge you.
We integrate with various gadgets and apps like RescueTime and Trello and GitHub (also fitness things like Fitbit but I guess this thread is more about productivity-related motivation) so, for example, you can force yourself to waste less time on Facebook or commit to GitHub more often, or enforce a steady rate of moving Trello cards to the Done pile.
- subb 13y agoDon't you think it's a bit evil to make a profit out of people's lack of self-motivation? I would prefer to give the money to a good cause...
- dreeves 13y agoHere's how we look at it: We force you to toe the line at least for a while so that when/if you do fall off your yellow brick road then the motivation Beeminder provided up until that point still seems worth it. Everything we've worked on in building Beeminder has been with the objective of making people succeed and we'd have to be very myopic for it to be otherwise. More on this: http://blog.beeminder.com/perverse http://blog.beeminder.com/perverse Or just think of it this way: You're paying a fee for Beeminder's service and that fee is waived if you never happen to need Beeminder's kick in the pants. If you really want a charity option though, some of our competitors offer that: http://blog.beeminder.com/competitors http://blog.beeminder.com/competitors At least one (StickK) offers an anti-charity option, but I really don't think that's a good idea: http://blog.beeminder.com/anticharity http://blog.beeminder.com/anticharity
- ctb_mg 13y agoIt seems the model is driven by negative reinforcement rather than positive reinforcement. Charity or no charity, I'd prefer a model that rewards staying on track rather than punishing lack of motivation. When you're talking about motivation, I feel that getting someone to do something to avoid negative consequences will result in low quality work and a begrudging state of mind.
- dreeves 13y agoThis is good criticism, and I bet you'll like http://lift.do http://lift.do But here's our response to that: http://blog.beeminder.com/lift http://blog.beeminder.com/lift
- wef234 13y agoCUDOs for providing such good summaries of your competitors! Such a public service really makes me want to signup for a B-sting!
- wellboy 13y agoHeh, it's like gympact :)