Make a Public Commitment to Writing EA Forum Posts

I’m a really big fan of commitment devices and accountability. I find them a really effective way to take a fuzzy thing I would like to do someday, convert it into a clear plan and intention, and ensure my future self sticks to it and keeps motivated and focused.

And one commitment device that I think should clearly exist, is a way to publicly commit to writing an EA Forum post! Especially since Aaron has been repeatedly encouraging more people to write things. So I thought it would be an interesting experiment to create a post where people can comment with a commitment to writing a post.

Obviously your mileage may vary, and some people find commitment devices aversive and stressful. But other people (like me) find them super useful, and so I hope having a natural way to do it is helpful. I like to think of this kind of thing as a very concrete and irreversible way to set an intention for my future self.

If this idea sounds appealing, and you have a vague idea for a post that you’re procrastinating on writing, please leave a comment! And if you’d find it useful, I’m happy to follow up with you for further accountability.

Suggested format:

Commitment: I commit to writing a post on [TOPIC] by [DEADLINE]

(And remember the planning fallacy! I recommend adding at least a week to the first deadline you came up with)

(Credit to Rafael Albert for suggesting this! And to the Effective Altruism Focusmate group for causing that call to happen!)