dreeves comments on Anti-akrasia tool: like stickK.com for data nerds - Less Wrong

59 Post author: dreeves 10 October 2011 02:09AM

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Comment author: kilobug 07 October 2011 09:20:16AM 1 point [-]

Nice idea, but to me that's not the real problem. My main problem is not about doing something once I decided I want to do it (on that part I'm quite ok, far from perfect, but ok), but about choosing what to do.

There are so many things I want to do, and so few time, that it's very common to me to "freeze" on a typical sunday morning, when I've the whole day to do something, but have to decide what to do. I often switch from one task to another not finishing any, or spend lots of time choosing what to do, or just decide to go with something fast so it doesn't prevent me from doing something else later on the day (and I end up not doing much of the "big" tasks). It happens both in my "hobby time", and, to lesser extends since the options are more limited and the deadlines stronger, in my work.

Does anyone have a similar problem ? And have tips on to overcome that problem ?

Comment author: dreeves 07 October 2011 04:28:29PM 0 points [-]

Here are my everything-looks-like-a-nail tips!

I know the Sunday morning problem you're talking about but stepping back slightly from the particular Sunday morning you can probably identify what things are getting short shrift, or vice versa (the Sunday morning paralysis leads to just surfing the web half the day). If you can identify a few instances of akrasia then I think Beeminder can very much provide that guidance in choosing what to do: focus on whichever yellow brick road you're in greatest danger of driving off of. (Or if you're highly akratic, do whatever thing Beeminder is forcing you to do Right Now because you're skating the edge of your yellow brick road.)