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Comment by dreeves | Hacker News Reader

My startup is all about solving this problem! 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.

[repeated from a very similar Ask HN thread the other day: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6121572 ]

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Find some ADHD test users and then tell me how well you're solving this problem. Your system seems like something I'd have to develop new habits to use, which is an indication that you miss the point, like every other system I've seen targeting people with ADHD.

If you set up an automatic data source (as opposed to replying to the email bot with datapoints, which for many things is not so bad either -- you're already in the habit of checking your email) then I don't think you have to develop new habits to use Beeminder. For what it's worth, we've been praised on ADHD fora and know of users with ADHD who swear by Beeminder.

Note that we're not targeting people with ADHD specifically but akrasia in general.

I applaud what you're doing, by the way. I didn't mean to attack or offend & I apologize for my tone earlier.

Based on what I've read in the past few months of my research, it seems as though there's a subset of people with ADHD who don't have much success with standard approaches. I don't have more information about that group, but I do think I may belong to it. The theory I've developed about myself is that I have a set of negative habits that reinforce each other and essentially make up a sort of support system for themselves. An example would be habits that contribute to disorganization also contribute to those related to poor time management and vice-versa. I suspect that without a "proper" support system, these habits can be overcome, but with only marginal success and only over a long period of time. I'm building my own system to augment my support system; it's meant to operate as a sort of digital nanny that I'm not able to ignore. I'd love to talk to some of your ADHD users if you're willing/able to put me in touch with them. I'm not trying to convince them to use what I'm building (especially since it'll be a long while before it's available for others), but just looking to understand their situations further and discover how Beeminder has helped them. My email address is crawford.comeaux@gmail.com if you'd like to discuss further.

Oh, wow, yes, "digital nanny" sounds very intriguing. Pinging you now! (And thanks for kind words!)

Wow, that must be the least professional promotion video I've ever seen

Aw man! It's so true, but we really hate making videos and A/B tests say that that video's much better than a nice professional image (we were too embarrassed to actually use that video for a long time, till we actually tested it).

So the time not wasted on facebook goes wasted in you pseudo solution... rite?

Ooh, no, I think beeminding is pretty low overhead! Especially if you connect it with RescueTime or another automatic data source. Maybe still too much learning curve up front but once you have it set up and dialed in it's nearly frictionless.

I'm also anxious to learn what makes it give the impression of being a pseudo solution. We think of commitment devices as the nuclear option in the war on akrasia.

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