That’s what commitment apps are for, but we’re not covering just any commitment apps. To reach your goals, you need those that are going to force you to get to work. We want tough love!
Check out these 8 commitment apps that make a real difference.
1. Write or Die
Write or Die 3.0 is a paid app that’s still being developed, but you can try the more polished and fully functional 2.0 version for free. Write or Die 2.0 has fewer bells and whistles, but it’s still a great tool for keeping your nose to the grindstone.
Here’s the deal: you start writing, and you don’t stop. If you stop, the app punishes you. You can choose your punishment and time length when you start. Options range from startling sounds to deleting your words from the page, with no backup!
If that scares you, good. With Write or Die, fear keeps you going.
The nice thing about Write or Die is that it’s adjustable. You can even change how long the app will wait before it enacts the consequence. This makes sure it’s punishing you for stopping, not for having a slow typing speed.
2. Beeminder
Beeminder stings you in the wallet if you stray from your commitments. You’ll need to give the app your credit card information, but it won’t ever charge you if you keep your promises. It’s a safe and effective way of staying on track.
Beeminder works best for long-term goals. You can input any number-oriented goal, such as the number of blog posts you want to write per week. Beeminder will help you stay on track by plotting your progress on a scatter chart. If you drop out of the safe zone, you’ll have to pay!
Best of all, Beeminder is flexible. If you give the app a week’s notice, you can pause the consequences for a day. The seven-day delay means you can’t use this feature to indulge a momentary impulse. Rather, it gives you a way to stay on track with your goals while still taking necessary breaks.
3. StikK
StikK is a platform that combines financial investment and social accountability. To use it, you create a contract and set a dollar amount on it. The community will help keep you aware and on track with encouragement and reminders.
But if you break the contract, you owe the amount you promised. You’ll also disappoint everyone who was cheering you on.
This combination of accountability and financial leverage is genius. When you succeed, you not only avoid the punishment, you gain a reward as everyone celebrates with you. And there’s still the monetary punishment if you break the contract.
Download: StickK for iOS | Android (Free)
4. The Most Dangerous Writing App
The Most Dangerous Writing App truly earns its name. With this web app, there are no warnings and no lenient options. You commit to writing for a certain length of time, and if you don’t, you lose your draft with no way to get it back.
Is that scary? If so, it’s a sign this app will work wonders for you. It’s great for getting over blank-page paralysis. Or any other kind of procrastination that keeps you from starting.
It has special modes and templates for fiction writing, but the basic mode works for everyone. The important thing is to get started. This can be tough if all you have are rough ideas, but remember: you can’t edit a blank page.
5. MeetCarrot
If you’re one of the lucky ones for whom losing some money isn’t a big deal, emotional motivation might work better. But don’t be mistaken, as emotions aren’t always soft and gentle.
MeetCarrot is an iOS app, featuring an AI who will berate and bully you into achieving your goals. Her sardonic style might remind gamers of Portal’s GLaDOS. The tone is similar to that evil AI’s famous brand of dark, deadpan humor.
As you progress and keep using the app, you can unlock new features and a story, chapter by chapter. Break your promises, though, and the only things you’ll get are insults, guilt, and maybe even a little fear.
Humor is a key part of the app. While Carrot is mean, she’s not abusive. She critiques your actions, not your identity or value as a person.
If your friends and family are too nice to take you to task when you flunk out on your goals, Carrot will happily fill in.
Download: MeetCArrot for iOS ($2.99, in-app purchases available)
6. TaskRatchet
While it works similarly to Beeminder, TaskRatchet is for specific tasks, rather than long-term goals. It’s a very streamlined app that needs your credit card information to function. Once it has that, it works like any good to-do list app—except that if you fail to complete your to-do, you’ll have to pay up!
Elegant in its simplicity, TaskRatchet connects your to-do list to your wallet. It’s perfectly safe, as well. There are even ways to get your money back if you couldn’t complete it because of stuff beyond your control. You can also integrate it with Beeminder to add your tasks to Beeminder’s chart.
It’s like a more streamlined, private version of StikK. If you like the idea of putting money down on a specific task, but don’t want to make it public, try TaskRatchet.
7. Habitica Pomodoro Sitekeeper
If you’re already using Habitica to gamify your life and find it effective, consider adding Pomodoro Sitekeeper. This is a site-blocker extension for Chrome and Opera. Unfortunately, to access a site on your blocklist, you have to pay some of your hard-earned Habitica gold!
The extension has two modes: a timer and a blocker. If you set a site’s access cost to 0, it’s only blocked during a Pomodoro timer.
On the other hand, if you assign a gold cost, you must pay to access it even when the timer is off. Best of all, there’s no way to change settings while you’re in the middle of a Pomodoro.
SitePass creates a financial-motivation option when you can’t afford to pay real money. The Habitica gold still feels like a meaningful consequence. Spending gold on SitePass means, you have less to buy equipment and healing potions with. For subscribers, it also reduces access to gems and collection items.
Power Up Your Commitments by Adding Consequences
If you need a shove in the right direction and not just a gentle nudge, try out one of these apps. This tough love can help you develop discipline, as well as improving your productivity.
Once you get a habit established through a commitment app, it’s easier to keep going, even if you drop the app later. Habits, once formed, are difficult to break.
