Truly Helpful Site of the Week: Stickk.com

Posted in: Online Tools, Website Links

I learned about this gem of a site while reading the book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.

Stickk.com helps people reach specific goals they set for themselves: goals from the seemingly small (such as “make an appointment for the dentist”) to the quite ambitious (say, “stop using illegal drugs”). Conceived by Dean Karlan (a Yale economics professor) and Ian Ayres (an economist and Yale Law professor), the Stickk process is simple yet effective; apparently users as a whole are experiencing a success rate of almost 80%. Not bad, eh?

Here’s how it works:

First, you set your goal.

Second, set the stakes for not reaching your goal. For example, you could set the stakes at $250. If you reach your goal, you get your $250 back. If you don’t reach your goal, that $250 goes directly to charity. Or, as an even greater incentive, Stickk.com allows you to set an “Anti-charity” as the recipient of your money should you fail to reach your goal. Anti-charities support causes you strongly disagree with. How would you feel if you didn’t stick to your commitment and all your money went to … the NRA? The Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence? How about the NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation? The Americans United for Life?

Third, pick a referee who will monitor and verify the progress of your Stickk Commitment Contract.

Fourth, enlist friends and website members aiming for similar goals to act as your support group.

Then it’s time to start working to reach your goal! And thankfully, it’s not as easy to cheat the system as you might think.

So stop drinking coffee!

Start eating breakfast every morning!

Do 20 sit-ups every day!

Stop the excuses, and start reaching your goals!

You’re not alone; Stickk.com and its users are there to help you every step of the way.

Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week

Posted in: Website Links

  1. http://tinyurl.com/4bsl4s - Did you know that some scrupulous people out there actually create fake blogs? It’s true. People/organizations often do this “for the purpose of marketing a product, service or political viewpoint.” [Wikipedia, “Fake blog” entry] Though no longer live, the fake Coke Zero website is a fantastic, illuminating example, and this interesting writeup gives you a glimpse into how even the largest, most well-known international companies stoop down and engage in this unethical marketing tactic.
  2. http://tinyurl.com/2xw74d - Looking to move away from your current email service (say, AOL…)? This resource provides you with a list of eighteen free programs to choose from. I can’t imagine you wouldn’t go with Gmail (option #1), but if you’re a methodical researcher who enjoys performing extensive research prior to making even the smallest of decisions, I think you’ll appreciate this list.
  3. http://tinyurl.com/yef5apa - I never would have guessed it myself, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this one, okay? This link will take you to a page that displays fifteen pieces of art. Funny art. Really clever, funny art. Art created with pencil on paper. And … um … dead flies.
  4. www.editavenue.com – An online marketplace for “document editing commerce.” In simple terms, this site lets you choose from hundreds of professional editors you can hire to correct and refine your document/paper/proposal/essay/etc.
  5. http://tinyurl.com/ykljyce - A program designed to help people compare PDFs by keywords, specific characters, or word-by-word. Find out how the PDFs you’re looking at are similar and/or different. A folder comparison function even allows you to locate differences among all files stored in a given folder. This definitely not a program most people would find useful, it’s quite a valuable tool for those with document comparison needs. Free 30-day trial.