Tag Archive

Precommit to Recommit: The Third Great Beeminder Epiphany

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
Precommit to Recommit: The Third Great Beeminder Epiphany

The First Great Beeminder Epiphany was the Yellow Brick Road, for bringing long-term consequences as near possible. The Second Great Beeminder Epiphany was the Road Dial... »

Pledge Short-Circuiting

Saturday, December 8th, 2012
Pledge Short-Circuiting

Until now you haven’t had much choice about how much to pledge (put at risk) on your Beeminder commitment contracts. It starts out free, then $5, then each subsequent time you derail from your yellow brick road you’re encouraged (though not forced) to jump to the next pledge level for your next... »

Getting Back On The Wagon

Friday, May 25th, 2012
Getting Back On The Wagon

This is a guest post by Philip Hellyer who can walk on water and outrun bullets, with the help of Beeminder. He eloquently describes what we think is currently the single biggest pain point (though there are many) with Beeminder right now — how to keep from procrastinating indefinitely on... »

Flexible Self-Control

Sunday, March 25th, 2012
Flexible Self-Control

The problem of self-control may be a ridiculous first world problem but it's the granddaddy of first world problems and I want to solve it. We live amidst a deluge of opportunities for instant gratification, especially in the form of food and entertainment, and most of us don't handle it well. The general problem, known as akrasia, is this: you understand your own best interests when you consider them dispassionately, but in the moment your decision-making is distorted. The best time for, say, a workout is always "tomorrow".... »

PSA: T Minus One Week to Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 17th, 2011
PSA: T Minus One Week to Thanksgiving

Today is one week before Thanksgiving in the US. One week is also Beeminder’s akrasia horizon. That means if you would like to stuff yourself silly a week from today, or slack off, or otherwise make your yellow brick road do the opposite of what it normally does, then now is the time to adjust your... »

Dog Food Renewed

Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Dog Food Renewed

Half a year ago, with Beeminder in its infancy, we committed to averaging one User-Visible Improvement (UVI) to Beeminder every day for at least the next six months. That contract has been insanely valuable to us. “Losing momentum is the most dangerous thing that can happen to a startup.” Lately it’s been a no-brainer (though still... »

The Road Dial and the Akrasia Horizon

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
The Road Dial and the Akrasia Horizon

Previously on the Beeminder Blog… How can we set up a commitment contract with minimal risk that we’ll regret it? It’s a tricky balancing act. You want something solid enough that you’ve truly committed yourself to your goal and can’t weasel out whenever a friend bakes some brownies (or whatever). But... »