I am often trying to build new habits, however, I normally lose momentum after a few weeks.<p>This summer, Instead of working on my will power or my habits, I decided to build something to punish me when I fail to follow through with my commitments.<p>Kommit is a free to use web app where you can create commitments and when you fail to stick to them, you are forced to donate to charity.<p>Like a true programmer, I started building Kommit without doing any research and I’ve since found out that similar apps already exist. However, in several ways I think Kommit is already nicer to use and more flexible.<p>Kommit has helped me reach a 112 day streak studying Korean on Duolingo, and it’s helped my partner keep a daily diary for the last 6 weeks. Hopefully it can help some HNers with their 2022 New Year’s resolutions!<p>PS If you don’t have anyone who can review your commitment, feel free to email me at callum@kommit.to and I’ll be happy to help :)
Beeminder[0] is a similar app — one that I've been a happy user of for 5+ years[1].<p>(Beeminder was also mentioned in a subthread reply by darrenf[2])<p>[0]: <a href="https://www.beeminder.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.beeminder.com</a><p>[1]: <a href="https://www.beeminder.com/codesections/gallery" rel="nofollow">https://www.beeminder.com/codesections/gallery</a><p>[2]: That reply read:<p>> Beeminder[0] is another. I particularly like that they keep a list of competitors in this space[1] - active, up and coming, dormant or dead. OP, perhaps you could think about asking Beeminder to add you to their list :)<p>> [0] <a href="https://www.beeminder.com/overview" rel="nofollow">https://www.beeminder.com/overview</a><p>> [1] <a href="https://blog.beeminder.com/competitors/" rel="nofollow">https://blog.beeminder.com/competitors/</a>
Have you considered reframing this as positive reinforcement instead of negative? It may require more trust in the system, but one example would be to have the user set aside a larger amount of money (in "escrow") that is paid out over time after successful completions of the kommitment.
I keep seeing hints of this strange model of the soul, I don't quite understand it, but it's like people are describing themselves as being multiple people.<p>There's the them that wants things, and the them that does things, as separate entities. The "wanter" is only briefly able to wrest control over what the "doer" does, mostly the "doer" has its own will which is not what the "wanter" wants, but something else.<p>Surely we're just one person. If someone wants something, it's they that want it, if someone does something, it's they that do it; but having this model of being multiple people allows them to completely disown their actions as the actions of someone else, as stuff that just happens to them, which in turn reinforces the narrative of not being in control.
Kudos for the donation to charity!<p>I wonder how the other for-profit in this space keep their business running, considering the amount of disputes that must come from users.<p>For example, I know that Stripe is very strict on the disputes percent[1]...<p>1 - <a href="https://stripe.com/docs/disputes/measuring#:~:text=Dispute%20activity%20above%200.75%25%20is,fines%20from%20the%20card%20networks" rel="nofollow">https://stripe.com/docs/disputes/measuring#:~:text=Dispute%2...</a>.
Seems broken - I'm seeing a 403 from a GET request to <a href="https://api.kommit.to/v1/user/instance-review" rel="nofollow">https://api.kommit.to/v1/user/instance-review</a> and then api.ts blows up at line 333.<p>Tried to submit this in the app as a support ticket and also got a 403.
As a native New Yorker, when I see "NY" I don't think "New Year" :)<p>I thought I missed an important announcement about a new set of statewide mandated goals for 2022.
<a href="https://www.stickk.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.stickk.com/</a>
The very same idea with more developed solution, already community and more features
(Just for people who looked for such things like me ago)