2013 Goals

[merriehaskell]

I don't have them.  But I think I should make them. In public. And have some accountability, like, for every goal segment not reached I have to donate a dollar to a charity I hate.  The Tea Party?  And what's a hurtful number of goal segments? $100 isn't enough. I'm thinking $250

Comments

[mrissa]

Is there some reason that you are feeling particularly self-flagellatory, and the stick seems like a better approach for you than the carrot?

[merriehaskell]

Carrot has not worked thus far! I am much more likely to be like, "Well, I said I could only buy a DSLR if I did x, y AND z, but I only got z done, and I have the money, and I need the camera, so I'm going to buy it eventually anyway, so x and y can go hang themselves."

I'm too benevolent to myself.

[mrissa]

Hmm. I will buy that you're benevolent to yourself. But I tend to think of a DSLR as a useful creative tool, whereas the Tea Party is...not that kind of tools...so I'm the wrong person to ask whether it's too benevolent. I just...if you have to come up with a negative consequence, is it more effective to you to punish the rest of us if you have a bad writing month? That's a genuine, not a rhetorical, question. Because to me there's a difference in scope between "Mer has to do thing she doesn't like" and "Mer has to do thing she doesn't like that negatively affects the rest of the world," and on the one hand, while I like neither, I prefer the former to the latter--and yet on the other hand I could see why that might make the latter a more effective threat to you.

It just makes me nervous when people are working under threats at all.

[merriehaskell]

Heh, okay. Yeah. Punishing the rest of the world is not the goal of this goal, by any means, if I were to fail. (Granted, with a consequence like that, I don't think I would.)

[mechaieh]

I would rather see you spin this as a reward to yourself rather than a penalty (in large part because, were the money to go to a charity you hate, it will punish not only you but also everyone affected by how those fuckwits spend that money). Thus: if I get to [goal x] by [date y], I get to donate $250 to a charity I love.

Or, make the penalty something that affects a more limited circle, such as "If I don't reach x by y, I have to wear Ohio State tattoos in public for a month." Or, "If I don't reach z by a, I have to post a podcast of [story you disliked reading]." [evil smile]

[merriehaskell]

As above to Mris, but not only do I know myself, but there are motivation experts who recommend this technique.

[cathshaffer]

What kind of goals are you thinking? Writing goals? Write a chapter by X date or the Tea Party gets my money? Harsh, but sounds very effective!

[merriehaskell]

Writing goals entirely!

[dendrophilous]

Like stickk.com?

I do like mrissa's idea of picking something you hate that wouldn't affect the world. Like scrubbing toilets or washing the baseboards. Or no visiting the bar at cons (ok, that would adversely affect the world).

No advice on actual amounts of $$, as I am not privy to your financial details.

[j_cheney]

Wow....I don't think you're going to miss any goals with that kind of pressure.