Beeminder

Overview

Beeminder is a unique goal-tracking platform that combines data tracking with financial commitment contracts. Users pledge money that they'll lose if they go off track from their goals, leveraging loss aversion psychology to maintain consistency.

Features

• Commitment Contracts: Pledge money you'll lose if you fail to meet goals
• Yellow Brick Road: Visual representation of your goal trajectory
• Automatic Data Import: Integrates with 100+ apps and services
• Flexible Goal Types: Do more, do less, custom targets
• Smart Scheduling: Automatic adjustment of daily requirements
• Derailment Protection: Grace periods and emergency stops
• Data Aggregation: Combine multiple data sources for one goal
• Custom Integrations: API access for tracking anything
• Mobile Apps: iOS and Android for on-the-go tracking
• Accountability: Email and SMS reminders when goals are at risk
• Community: Forums and user groups for support

How It Works

1. Set a Goal: Define what you want to track (e.g., work 20 hours/week)
2. Commit Money: Choose how much you'll pledge (starts at $0, increases with derailments)
3. Track Progress: Manual entry or automatic data import
4. Stay on Track: Keep within your "yellow brick road" or pay the pledge
5. Ratchet Up: Optionally make goals more challenging over time

Use Cases for Time Management

• Track focused work hours per day/week
• Maintain consistent pomodoro sessions
• Limit time on distracting websites
• Meet project deadline milestones
• Consistent work on side projects
• Maintain work-life balance metrics

Pricing

• Free: Core features, $0-$5 pledge amounts
• Bee Plus: $4/month or $48/year - Higher pledge caps, more features
• Bee Lite: $2/month - Support development, fewer pledge limits