Tag: productivity

this last tool on the mini-productivity list is admittedly a bit weird, but bear with me because i think it has merit to it. it’s called beeminder, and the tagline is “reminders with a sting“.

so, here’s how it works: you set up a quantifiable goal, and commit yourself to reaching it within a certain amount of time. beeminder plots a nice graphic that shows you the yellow brick road, ie, is the path within which you must stay in, in order to reach that goal. the goals can be anything: read or write a certain amount, go to the gym, reach a certain weight, etc. and there are a number of integrations that import data automatically.

what happens when you don’t stay on the yellow road? that’s where it gets interesting. for every day over the line, beeminder will charge you — the amount is configurable, but increases over time. you don’t have to put in a credit card to give it a try, but it really helps make the threat credible. oh! and you can pause or delete your goals, but any changes you make will only take effect a week from now, to prevent any sneaky weaseling.

here is my “go 100 times to the gym in one year” goal:

i’m well above the threshold and could stay flat for another 42 days until i was charged $5. i’m not planning to de-rail on it, but i like the looming threat on the horizon, combined with the graphic representation of each goal. it’s a neat way to follow your progress and keep yourself in check.

so there you go, this is my trio of productivity tools! they’re a weird bunch, but hey… whatever works, right? :D

ps – do you use any other tools that i should check out?

the second tip on this mini-productivity list is a bit radical, but if you’re an habitual internet-fueled procrastinator, maybe you’ll appreciate the ruthlessness of the self-control app.

this is the thing: i know there are people who are able to do all the hard things or watch unfazed from a distance as distractions float around them… but i’m definitely not one of them. my mind is a whirlwind of ideas and connections, a place where the instant gratification monkey has both hands firmly on the wheel.

and this is where self-control comes in. the app is really basic: you feed it a blacklist of websites where you don’t want to go, and it blocks them for as long as you’d like. until the timer expires, you won’t be able to access those websites — not even restarting the computer or deleting the app makes it go away. alternatively, you can use it with a whitelist, setting only the websites which you want to be allowed to open for that period of time.

i use it to block all kinds of social media, news sites or search engines where my random thoughts inevitably lead me. i turn it on when it’s still early and i’m filled with good intentions, and set the timer for when i’ll probably need a break. and so in the meantime, whenever a stray thought comes in or i feel an urgent need to know more about the endemic cabbages of kerguelen islands, the browser just refuses the connection and i’m thrown back to work — easy peasy.

it’s a very effective way to “burn your ships” and make sure you don’t have to rely on your own self-control to be focused. the fact that you can’t weasel your way around the restrictions is what makes it work for me — there’s nothing else to do but work, and after a while, it’s easy to get the groove going and forget about the other thoughts.

if you’re easily distracted by all the shiny things online, i heartily recommend it.