Ask HN: Not a personal assistant, but a manager to get things done? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Not a personal assistant, but a manager to get things done?

11 pointsdelopsu31 comments

Imagine a dedicated manager, who calls you in the morning (or when you have planed during the week planning call) and checks how is your plan for the day, ensures that week goals are in the focus and if you need some help to unstuck.

Actually not joking, partially. Would such "service" help you get things done?

Reverse of concierge service that would push you whatever goals you set.

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My SO decided to go freelance but was struggling to actually work on things without some sort of outside force to help her (and me lightly prodding her every day or going on library work dates didn't seem to help).

But after a couple of months she stumbled upon a site that has like virtual coworking segments of time, that they call caves.

Basically she signs up for 4-5 of them a day (I think they're an hour apiece), hops on the video meeting, everyone introduces themselves and hops into a private room and works on things. I don't think it would work that well for me (probably find it too distracting) but she's been doing it for several weeks now and she's been a lot more productive since she started.

I do think for some people there is value in having some outside force pressure them into work, and some people would be willing to pay some money for that.

> she stumbled upon a site that has like virtual coworking segments of time,

Cool. Do you remember how it's called?

I googled it: https://www.caveday.org/

Such a service already exists, check https://workmode.net/ (disclaimer: I'm a co-founder). We'll call you every morning to remind you to start your day and to connect with us for a body-doubling session. Your productivity partner will ensure you have a to-do list for the day, stay focused on your tasks, and that you won't procrastinate. If you go for lunch and it takes more than you planned, they'll call you to check on you. You always work with the same dedicated WorkMode partner so you can personalize your experience.

There was a time where these skills were considered baked in by the time you graduated high school

Was this when they taught life skills in high schools instead of an endless treadmill of standardized test prep?

Nah, there was just a time when the people who didn't have them didn't have a voice.

Reminds me of https://bossasaservice.com/, which I believe I first saw on HN.

Wow, yes, actually something like this. Thanks!

Interesting idea, having someone check in regularly to review your progress is definitely great for people who have issues with self-motivation or time management. But the effectiveness would depend on the compatibility of the manager with the individual, if two people don't like each other, thing will not work out.

Yeah. Check other responses now, there are a couple of solutions already

Look into the neurodiverse community, they have this figured out. A personal assistant and coaches are keywords which sound like what you are looking for. And accountability buddies and body doubling

https://www.additudemag.com/virtual-assistant-adhd-benefits/

At this point, why not just get a regular job? (30% joking)

A related concept, I now use Beeminder which requires me to pay money if I don't do what I've set to do. It seems perverse, but it kind of works.

Why don't you set a recurring reminder on your Calendar app for things like that?

(asking because I've been using Outlook for the past 20+ years and syncing it with my phone(s) - Nokia back in the day, then iPhone, now Android)

It solves procrastination (emotional regulation) rather than organisation .. basically makes me more likely to follow through on my plans

Cool! Thanks for sharing! didn't know that there is a number of such solutions already.

I used to have such a person. It was my boss at work.

Would this be different than the concept of coach? I've worked with coaches before that will do this kind of thing.

Yes, probably, thanks. Never worked with coach. Are there any services similar to those, where one can find therapist, but for searching coaches?

Coach's goal is to teach you.

And manager just wants you to make things done, no matter what. You may learn something or not, but at least get through some troubled times and fix situation. Crisis management on demand

> And manager just wants you to make things done, no matter

This is optimising for blind output instead of outcomes. You can’t rush a creative process and becoming a mindless ticket crushing machine will not make you add value to your business.

You need to focus on high leverage activities that produce big impactful outcomes instead.

Having someone stand on my toes and force output is the opposite of the headspace you need to do impactful work.

No, the benefit managers give are control over a group that someone else can exercise.

Isn’t this the goal of the daily scrum and the scrum master?

Isn't this just an involved personal assistant?

Assistant works for you, but you work for the manager. E.g. you owe them money, in case you fail

So you are incentivizing them to not do their job, because they profit from your failure. That ain't gonna work.