[tlb]

I find that when pursuing purely personal interests, publicly committing to a deliverable helps me get it done. I say I'm going do something by a given date as a way of putting myself in a position where failure will be public and humiliating.

People's motivation systems vary a lot, but it works for me.

[shawnz]

I feel the same way, but apparently there's some research to the contrary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21080132

[tlb]

The conclusion there is that "People who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen." But that's not a claim about causality. It can be explained by there being two kinds of people in the world: doers and blowhards.

[shawnz]

True, but still, I think there's an important point in that talking more won't necessarily make someone more of a doer. It could just make them more of a blowhard.