Time Study Consulting

BuddyHive.com Inspires Procrastinators

We want to inspire people to get more done. So we developed a new website, BuddyHive.com that has now been running for about three months. Essentially it links up random buddies who list tasks that they want to get done over the next week or so, but have been putting off. The buddies communicate with each other via our private email system, providing support, advice, and encouragement. We have deliberately kept our marketing efforts low key, because we wanted to see how the site works for users. So far just over 100 tasks have been completed by buddies helping each other.

After communicating with a buddy, a user presses a button that says, “My task is done.” In fact, the system doesn’t allow them to press this button until at least one message has been sent. We want to encourage the mutual support that BuddyHive can provide.

So what are people getting done?

Based on early results, (you can see all of them on the Achiever leader board) the most common type of task that people are having success with deals with personal marketing. Typically these include writing a web based newsletter, or a blog, or updating a contact list. These are relatively straightforward tasks that are not essential to the operation of one’s business and don’t have time lines, but nonetheless enhance personal branding. They are also tasks that can be done alone. They don’t involve collaboration with other departments, or waiting for customers to reply, or getting approval from a boss. They are tasks where a buddy can make a difference.

The second type of task is general work activities; updating a contract, completing a presentation, writing a software development plan, and more. These are high priority work tasks that need to be done.  People struggle with getting these done for a variety of reasons. What our results show is that having a buddy can make a difference.

The third major task is cleaning. People are burdened by their accumulated stuff, by their lack of organization, and by their messiness. Like the personal marketing activities, many of these can be done alone. It just takes the encouragement of a buddy to make progress.

Study activities are next. Our site attracts students who inevitability find themselves procrastinating. Check out a “procrastination” hash tag on Twitter late on a Sunday night and you’ll see hundreds of students putting things off. The goals of education seems to be to separate those who can get their work done from those who can’t. When a history project is sidetracked by aimless procrastination on Twitter, help is definitely needed.

Accountability can make a difference.

Household chores such as mending, doing one’s taxes, or laundry are next. Many people struggle chronically with clutter and disorganization. Yet, cleaning up is not a hard task to begin. Put someone together with a buddy, and great things start to happen.

The last significant group of activities is work administration. We define these as tasks that need to get done eventually, but aren’t part of one’ s job description. They include data entry, sending forms to a supplier, and completing expense reports.

To sum up, BuddyHive makes a difference. Check it out to buddy up, stop procrastination, and get stuff done.

www.BuddyHive.com