TaskRatchet

• Why would I want to use Beeminder and TaskRatchet together?
• How do I set up a goal with TaskRatchet?
• What gets added to my goal?
• Can I set it so it only adds to my goal when I've completed a task?
• Can I add a datapoint to Beeminder when I create goals relating to a specific project?

TaskRatchet is a to-do list that charges you real money if you don't complete your tasks on time. You define your task, set your deadline, and choose your stakes. TaskRatchet is designed to make sure you follow through.

Why would I want to use Beeminder and TaskRatchet together?

Beeminder is all about continuous progress (and charging you if you go off track), while TaskRatchet takes a very similar concept and applies it to one-off tasks. You can combine the two to ensure you use TaskRatchet consistently and regularly set tasks and deadlines on TaskRatchet, or to monitor how many tasks you complete on TaskRatchet.

How do I set up a goal with TaskRatchet?

You'll need to start by setting up a Do More goal on Beeminder, or choose an existing Beeminder goal you'd like to post data to. You probably want to use a Do More/autosumming goal -- TaskRatchet's inputs won't make sense for an odometer goal.

Once you have a goal that you want to send data to, you need to log into your TaskRatchet account, and go to your account settings. You can link up with your Beeminder account from there. If you just want to add a +1 for every task you create in TaskRatchet, you can just type in the name of the goal you want to post datapoints to there in your account settings.

Check out TaskRatchet's documentation for more information about how things work on their end!

What gets added to my goal?

The simplest way to use it is so that for each task you add to TaskRatchet, +1 gets added to the Beeminder goal specified in your settings. If you do that, a datapoint will always be added to that specified goal, regardless of whether you also add it to other goals with the asterisk/ampersand methods mentioned below for adding only specified tasks, or adding tasks only when completed.

Can I set it so it only adds to my goal when I've completed a task?

Yep, as long as you have the authentication set up! This needs to be done on a task-by-task basis, though.

When creating a task on TaskRatchet, you can specify in the task that it should be added to a specific Beeminder goal only when completed, by adding an asterisk and the goal's name to the task description. For instance, if I wanted to add a +1 to a goal called "todo" for each time I complete a task on TaskRatchet, I can name the task on TaskRatchet accordingly:

Most important task: write Help Doc about TaskRatchet *todo

Once I check that task off on TaskRatchet (and only then), it will add a +1 to my goal called "todo".

Can I add a datapoint to Beeminder when I create tasks relating to a specific project?

Yep! When creating the task, just include the name of the Beeminder goal with an ampersand. For instance, if you want to add a +1 to a goal called "dissertation" when you create a task on TaskRatchet that relates to your dissertation, name it as follows on TaskRatchet:

Most important task: 500 words today or bust &dissertation

And that will add a +1 to my dissertation goal as soon as the task is created.

Keywords: autodata integrations, friendly competitors, to-do lists, productivity