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

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.

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

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.

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

Isn't this just an involved personal assistant?

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

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.

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

Sounds like a give-a-shit-as-a-service. I would try.

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.

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

You want a mom?