[edited for typos]
Update: I’ve archived my all-green goal.
What I liked about it:
- It removed Beeminder-induced stress by changing my goal from not derailing to having 2+ days of buffer, which increased peace of mind
- It made Beeminding more fun. As others pointed out, it lent more of a feeling of accomplishing something positive, instead of just maintaining a state of non-crisis.
What didn’t work for me:
- Beeminder’s iOS client and web app are both designed (as they should be) with UI to make it clear when you will derail, and what you need to do to avoid derailing. Their UIs don’t make it very clear when you will slip from green to blue, or what you need to do to avoid that. For this reason I found that staying on track for this goal required more effort than it was worth. I’m not even sure it’s possible to [edit:] reliably know exactly what’s required to maintain green buffer in some cases. …which segues to:
- I found that certain types of goals were incompatible with this, either in spirit or technically.
- Exhibit A: I made an exception for my weight loss goal (somewhat reluctantly), on the grounds that it wasn’t sufficiently under my control to stay in the green. I still feel a bit conflicted about whether this was appropriate.
- Exhibit B: The way I used my drink-less-alcohol goal (if, when wanting a drink, I can afford to have one without derailing, then go ahead) exempted it from this, especially since the UI didn’t allow me to plan ahead to build up a reliable buffer and make decisions about whether to drink on the margin of green/blue instead of ontrack/derail.
This goal was useful for me to develop a habit of “shooting for green”, which I will carry with me. I do think it’s worth trying this kind of goal out for a while, just to get this benefit. It’s a subtle but powerful difference in the way I Beemind.
If at some point I find I’ve gotten out of that habit, I might unarchive this goal for a month or two to restart it.