Wikipedia Pacts

If I hadn't published this article today, I'd have had to pay $100 to Wikipedia.

This consequence keeps me accountable and is why I never missed an email so far.

You can use this technique, too: Putting money on the table will help you achieve your goals.

To do that, take a task that you just keep putting off. And then promise to a friend of yours “Either I do this task by that specific day, or I pay $100 to <a certain organization>.”

I call it the “Wikipedia Pact” because in my case the money would go directly to Wikipedia.

This is the power of accountability when money is at stake. Depending on how important the task is to you, you can increase or decrease the amount of money. The only thing you need for this is another person to objectively judge whether you completed the task (apart from the money, of course 😅).

If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can replace Wikipedia with an organization you hate. I can assure you from a very painful personal experience that the suffering of failing and paying is unbearable (which is why I’ll never fail again).

Try this out the next time you're procrastinating, and see how far you get.

This is an excerpt of a post on Mental Garden, a regular newsletter designed to help you become a better human through guided introspections. Read the full post and sign up now.