I have been using this app for about 6 months:
I have found it to be very, very beneficial in terms of my productivity and focus*. It’s based on the pomodoro technique, which follows the basic pattern of working in 25 minute chunks. Whenever you do a work chunk, it can be automatically synced with google calendar. At the end of the day, it’s easy to see how many work chunks you have done. Additionally, it can be set up so that you can easily create preset categories for the type of work you are doing. I have categories for different projects at work, hobbies, and exercise. Before I set the timer, I simply select which category I’m doing my work in, and then hit go. When I look at my google calendar, I have an honest breakdown of how I’m spending my productive time.
A word of warning—the app is a little rough around the edges. Every now and then (twice a week?), it will crash, and syncing with google calendar requires a little troubleshooting to start. This wouldn’t be that difficult for anyone on LW, and once it’s set up, syncing takes care of itself. Crashing is an insignificant issue, and at worst means you don’t record the work done during that chunk.
*I now measure my productivity (or at least my work ethic) in how many chunks I have done in a day. I do substantially more now than when I first started, which could be partly because I have gotten into the habit of measuring myself. Still, I feel that I am actually working more. If anyone has any suggestions on how I could more fairly compare my productivity now vs. in the past, I’d be happy to give it a try.
With a time limit, enforced by someone else if you can’t do it yourself. Actual stakes that you care about if you fail are also helpful.
If you can’t do this with a job, do it with a hobby organization (e.g., offer to teach a workshop on the thing you want to build).