Why I don't feel commits.to does what I want it to, and what I would prefer instead

[zedmango]

Also see this thread on the topic which has some good ideas:

Most elegant way to create one-off must-do event with penalty?

Hello, What is the best way to create a one-off must-do event with penalty (custom goal?) I’ve seen workarounds involving a recurring task such as “do something important every day” etc but I was looking for something a little more specific… Thanks, -Devon

In particular this procedure for making a one-off beeminder goal might work for you - it shouldn’t be too hard to automate:

Most elegant way to create one-off must-do event with penalty?

Create a goal that needs to be done twice a month or less. Retroratchet to your desired deadline. When you do the task, archive the goal.