RIP is an executive function tool. Writing daily checklists of tasks to complete is a proven strategy for making sure time is used wisely, but it has a few downsides.
- It's a hassle to write out what you're going to do each day, especially if you're doing similar things each day.
- The psychological feeling of accomplishment from checking off daily lists is quickly diminished if it is presented on a daily basis rather than tracked and displayed holistically
- Doing the same exact thing each day in the same amount is boring and can quickly become monotonous to the point of giving up entirely.
RIP solves these problems by adding a slight randomization to the daily activities and more. This randomization comes in the form of the user defining how many days on average per week a selected activity will be generated, as well as the range of magnitude of activity. For example, a journaling activity might be created that has the average frequency of 4 days a week and a magnitude range of 20 to 60 minutes. When the journaling activity is chosen to be added to the day's activities, the amount requested to do will be a number randomly selected between 20 and 60 minutes.
This semi-random range and frequency of activities means each day will have slightly different activities and lengths of those activities, while still remaining consistent and ensuring productivity over weeks, months, and years. Some days will be more active than others, but over time the most important factor for productivity (overall consistency and motivation) will be more likely than through other methods of daily activity list making.
In addition to this semi-randomization, RIP enables the user to keep track of their completion rate of each task as well as the composite averages across time, which allows them to better understand how they are spending their time as well as have a metric for which to "beat", which turns the process into a bit of a game.
RIP is currently in active development for Android but plans for a web version as well as iPhone support is in the realm of possibilities depending on user support and enthusiasm for this fairly novel and experimental executive function tool.