Installing New Behaviors(with Beeminder)

Daniel Reevesdreeves@beeminder.com

Rationality for Entrepreneurs2012 Nov 16

Entrepreneur Prereqs

1. Sensitivity to know what needs doing2. Inventiveness to figure out how to do it3. Single-minded perseverance to make it

happen

How Not to Die:

Keep Typing

(inexorable forward progress => eventual success)

Fight Irrationality with Irrationality!

(akrasia vs. commitment contracts)

Commitment Device Providers• StickK• Beeminder• Run Or Else• GymPact• Fatbet• Aherk• 21habit• HealthRally• Lose It Or Lose It• Deadpool:

– Succeed Or Else– TimeCarrot

Beeminder=

Commitment Contracts+

Quantified Self

Data-orientedCommitment Contracts

=Flexible Self-Control

$0, $5, $10, $30, …

…Emerald City

Mmm… Dogfood…

@beemuvi

Time on Hacker News

Wasted Time

More [sic] TV

Beeminder API• Anki (open source Supermemo) cards• Remember The Milk tasks• Github commits• TagTime• RescueTime• Browser plugin; sites visited• Goodreads• Libraries (PHP, Python, etc)• Memrise• WordPress plugin• FogBugz• Withings – beeminder.com/withings• Trello – beeminder.com/trello• RunKeeper – beeminder.com/runkeeper• Gmail – gmailzero.com• NaNoWriMo (Etherpad and Google Docs) – beeminder.com/nanowrimo• Fitbit and other devices, TallyBee, …• Android and iPhone apps!• Custom interfaces, command line tools, cron jobs, …

Backup Slides

Beeminder is S.M.A.R.T.(E.R.)

• Specific, Measurable– Define a Yellow Brick Road

• Attainable, Relevant– Want-Can-Will test

• Time-bound– On the Yellow Brick Road every day– Works even for open-ended goals

• Evaluate, Reevaluate– Road Dial

“Beeminder”?

• Originally Kibotzer (kibitzing robot)• Beeminder is a “me-binder”• Rhymes with Reminder• Minding your goals (“Bee-mindful”)• It’s about being minded• Esteemed co-founder goes by “Bee”• Reminders with a sting• “Make a beeline for your goal”• Generalization of Sobriety Minders

Synonyms for Self-Binding

• Using a commitment device• Using a self-commitment device• Creating a commitment contract• Precommitting• Me-binding• Beeminding• Stickking (to something)• Aherking off?• Tying oneself to the mast• Employing counteractive self-control

Related Terms• Egonomics• Picoeconomics (coined by George Ainslie)• Akrasia• Self-control• Procrastination• Preproperation• Addiction• Counteractive control theory• Programmable Self (coined by Fred Trotter)• Hyperbolic discounting• Dynamic inconsistency, or Time inconsistency• Multiple selves• Delayed/deferred gratification• Captology (coined by B.J. Fogg)• (New year’s) resolutions• Present-biased preferences• Ego depletion (Baumeister, but see also Dweck)• Motivation hacking• Burning the ships• Mind over mind (coined by David McRaney)• Second-order preferences• Astheneia and Propeteia (Aristotle)• Ulysses Contracts• Executive functions (psychology term)