'Boss as a Service' aims to help people avoid procrastination

This story was originally published on Nov. 30, 2018.

The simply named Boss as a Service is allowing people who work for themselves to hire someone else to keep them on task. 

Manasvini Krishna is a lawyer, software developer and the creator of the service. "We help people be accountable," Krishna told Spark host Nora Young, "and to finish what they want to get done." 

The service assigns every user a "boss" who monitors the user's to-do lists. If the user does not provide the boss with proof that they have completed a specific task by their assigned deadline, the service will follow up with a prompt, reminding them they're behind on deadline. They will continue checking in until the user completes their task. 

"If you're self-employed, if you're a founder, if you're a student… a lot of time you just keep working and working and working like there's no end to it," Krishna said. "A lot of time work expands to fit the deadline, especially if you don't have a third party enforcing a deadline on you."

For people who need more incentive, Boss as a Service works with a company called Beeminder, which will charge the user money if they diverge from a prearranged goal. 

Melissa Gregg is the author of Counterproductive: Time Management in the Knowledge Economy. Speaking on Spark, Gregg argued that the the responsibility of time management has shifted from managers or bosses, to individual workers. 

For many, that responsibility doesn't suit them or their work habits. "I personally do have goals and I want to achieve them," Krishna said. "But I just find myself constantly not hitting my very realistic goals, which I totally could hit if I just put in the work."

Krishna has created other productivity tools, including a quiz to find out why you are procrastinating.