From the NoTestudo community previewFast Food
My Money saved card says $84 since September. Not huge, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the number instead of just feeling bad about it. What helped: groceries on Sunday so there’s always something at home at 11 p.m.
Some goals are about doing more: more gym, more library, more time outside. Others are about doing less: less fast food, fewer late-night drive-thru runs, fewer bar nights during the week. NoTestudo handles both, and both are made of places.
For a “go less” goal, the places you pick are the ones you’re trying to visit less. Every day without a visit to them is a clear day.
Start with where it actually happens
People can usually name the place. The hard part is seeing the pattern. So start with the places that really decide the habit, not a category in the abstract:
- A chain. If the habit is fast food, it might be one or two chains near where you live and study.
- One address. The bar across from your apartment, or the shop on your walk to class.
- A friend’s house or anywhere else you can save on the map.
You define what’s good and bad for your own life. NoTestudo doesn’t make moral judgments about the places you go. You pick the goals, and the app counts the visits.
Pick a few places, not every place
It’s tempting to add every place that could ever be a problem. A shorter list usually works better: it keeps the goal about the pattern you actually want to change, and it keeps your week readable.
- Pick the one or two places that show up most in your week.
- Add the place you end up at when you’re tired or bored.
- Leave the rest out for now. You can update a goal later.
Set a clear-day target you can hit
A “go less” goal’s weekly target counts clear days. A clear day is a day with no visit to the goal’s places. If you’re at five drive-thru runs a week right now, aiming for seven clear days on day one sets you up to feel bad about a good week.
Your first week of visits becomes the starting point, so progress compares you with you. Pick a target a little better than that week, then raise it when it feels easy. When you change a target, the new one starts on Monday.1
One stop doesn’t define your week. A visit to a place you’re cutting back on is recorded for that goal, and tomorrow can still be a clear day.
What you get back
Skip the takeout and NoTestudo estimates what you didn’t spend. When you skip something you’d normally buy, you can also record what you kept with Record Money Saved. Money saved is never shared with friends or groups.
Time works the same way. Time saved compares your time with a typical day, so the hours that used to go to the bar or the drive-thru show up as hours kept.
A heads-up near a place
A quiet note when you’re close to a place you’re trying to visit less is coming soon. Until then, your Home screen shows the countdown to your next clear day.
Frequently asked questions
What’s a clear day?
Does driving past the place break my clear day?
Can I change my target later?
Will my friends see where I’ve been?
Is money saved exact?
Still have a question?
Email support@narb.cc. We aim to reply within 2 business days.
