Will blackmailing yourself get you to stop procrastinating? This app sure wants to try

Embarrassing drunk photo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Extreme situations need extreme helping hands. Chances are, you clicked this article because you are a chronic procrastinator or know someone who needs to get their priorities straight. Sample the web app Aherk! and perhaps you and your loved ones will learn a lesson or two about taking too much of a sweet time.

It’s not quite the magnitude of televised embarrassment like A&E’s Hoarders, but it sure is close to it on a more personally connected level. The app’s goal is simple: The user inputs the goal of what they want or need to get done and is prompted to “Put your ass on the line.” What Aherk! is suggesting is that you upload a compromising photo of yourself, and if you fail to meet your goal at a specified time, that photo will be made public through your Facebook. Nothing says self-motivation like self-sabotage.

“Outside our personal lives, we’re always on the edge, keeping productive, getting things done, because if we don’t, we know we can face immediate bad consequences,” Aherk! states on its official site. “With this service you’ll be able to put the same kind of pressure on you and effectively create habits, change what you don’t like about yourself or strengthen the traits you enjoy… It’s just a knife on your neck that will keep you on your toes while your friends are watching.”

Facebook friends also have a say in the matter by voting whether or not you achieved your goal. However, this final section is clearly flawed. Pretty much everyone wants to see embarrassing photos of their friends so if you happen to surround yourself with a crew of jerks, they might just vote “No” just to get a glimpse of what you uploaded. Alternatively, the photo you choose to upload could merely be a prank (Rickrolling time, anyone?) or a photo of someone else. In a result of a voting tie, you still lose. There’s a whole lot of trickery that can happen with this app if no one uses it the way it’s intended (and we anticipate that most probably won’t).

Aherk! is currently in beta testing with several goals from members including “running 3 times a week for the next month,” “write 10 articles,” and “lose 20 pounds by summer.” Each post includes the user profile picture, the goal, the tentative end date, and a status on whether the goal was achieved or an utter failure. The app links directly to your Facebook so no separate sign up is necessary. If you’re the kind of person who is more driven when something personal is at risk, perhaps this “service” will push you to actually do something about your procrastination. You know, if you don’t decide to start tomorrow.

Image Credit: Flickr / red5standingby

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