What it is this, Nike on a bad day? Go Fucking Do It is a new productivity – well, I don’t know what to call it. There’s definitely a website but it’s more an ethos. More a gorgeous slice of wickedness. Sign up to this and state what you’re going to do: you’ll write that book, you’ll run this marathon – and then you put a price on it. A forfeit.
Here’s a real example:
I will surprise my girlfriend every day or pay $100
That’s live on the site right now, as are these:
I will run a marathon or pay $50
I will organise my life or pay $50
The key thing, is where the money goes if you fail to do what you vow and instead have to pay up. There is a debate going on about this but I am fully in favour of the cash going to the people who run the website. Some argue that it should go to a charity but that’s nice and this is about making you do your task. If you fail knowing Macmillan Cancer Research is going to get your money, you’re far more likely to fail than you are if it goes to some stranger running a website somewhere.
Despite the ongoing debate, currently 153 people have gone ahead and registered. They have pledge-vowed a total of $14,718
And it is a great idea with one massive flaw.
The people who are signing up for it don’t appear to be as smart as the website owners.
Take those three examples above.
I will organise my life
When? How exactly will your life be organised? If it’s by buying The Blank Screen book (UK edition, US edition) today, you go right ahead.
I will run a marathon
When?
I will surprise my girlfriend every day
Really? Every day? How long before the surprise is that there is no surprise? Who adjudicates over whether she is actually surprised or not? If you get married, do you have to find a new girlfriend to surprise?
The principle of having to pay money if you fail is like my own Brutal £1 Pot Trick where I made myself get up at 5am by rewarding myself with a pound coin – and throwing away all the pound coins so far if I failed. I never failed.
Take a look at the Go Fucking Do It website to see what you think and if you want to despair about humanity, go check out that debate about where the money should go.
Also, half a hat tip to Lifehacker as that found this for me, though it loses a bit of a tip for spelling it “Go F***ing Do It”.
sfds