Paper 4 -
Overcoming Procrastination with "Remind."

Bailey Newton-Browne.

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today!” is easier said than done. Actually doing something we intend to do is often hampered by procrastination. This paper presents ReMind, a calendar/to-do-list-like object to overcome procrastination. An empirical case study of a functional prototype using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) showed that ReMind instilled reflection about procrastination and behavioral change in everyday life.

This paper is genius, in my opinion. I love it, the class were mostly split down the middle but I was fortunate to be on the side that respected this idea.

The idea was “Remind” Rewind was effectively, an alarm clock for events you needed to for fill, it reminded everyone who used it of their personal tasks such as, getting work done, washing up or even just picking someone up. It was a brilliant idea created by Matthias Laschke, Marc Hassenzahl, Jan Brechmann, Eva Lenz and Marion Digel to help overcome procrastination. This circular wheel, engine and pucks have actually come together to eliminate a designers worst enemy, procrastination. They gave remind to four people and then interviewed them and how Remind was helping them with their work and day to day lives over 15 days. They did this because anything during procrastination can become “pleasurable troublemakers”, in the sense that anything can become more entertaining than work, including playing with a giant wheel, but this giant wheel is constantly telling you to get back to your work. It’s great and because of that, I’m completely on board with it.

They also say that this could give a designer/worker the big job they need. Overcoming procrastination isn’t so you can get work done, it’s so that you believe in yourself that you do not waste time, this can lead to things, as they say in the paper, such as taking a job you wouldn’t take usually due to the workload and then getting a bigger pay off.

To conclude, I would have loved to have been part of the test and would like the product Remind in my life because I find it impressive and as someone who has trouble getting motivated and with procrastination, I know I would find this product useful and effective in my life.