What it's based on.
The research behind the claims on this site, and what we took from each. Where the evidence is mixed, we say so.
Research we cite
Altmann, E. M., Trafton, J. G., & Hambrick, D. Z. (2014). Momentary interruptions can derail the train of thought. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(1), 215–226.
Used for: Why even very short interruptions matter (home page, other people).
Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. Proceedings of CHI 2008, 107–110.
Used for: Interrupted work gets faster but more stressful (home page, other people).
Leroy, S. (2009). Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109(2), 168–181.
Used for: Attention residue after switching tasks (home page, your own switching).
Dabbish, L., Mark, G., & González, V. M. (2011). Why do I keep interrupting myself? Environment, habit and self-interruption. Proceedings of CHI 2011, 3127–3130.
Used for: Self-interruption as a significant part of task switching at work (your own switching).
Kushlev, K., Proulx, J., & Dunn, E. W. (2016). "Silence your phones": Smartphone notifications increase inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Proceedings of CHI 2016, 1011–1020.
Used for: Notifications switched on increased self-reported inattention (phone).
Fitz, N., Kushlev, K., Jagannathan, R., Lewis, T., Paliwal, D., & Ariely, D. (2019). Batching smartphone notifications can improve well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 84–94.
Used for: Batched notifications improved self-reported attention and well-being; turning all of them off raised anxiety for some (phone, PRO notification clean-out).
Lim, J., & Dinges, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on cognitive variables. Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 375–389.
Used for: Losing sleep lowers attention and vigilance (energy and mind).
Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006), 932.
Used for: How common mind wandering is, and its link with mood (energy and mind).
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
Used for: If-then plans make follow-through more likely, a medium-to-large effect across nearly 100 studies (set-up, PRO if-then plans).
Albulescu, P., Macsinga, I., Rusu, A., Sulea, C., Bodnaru, A., & Tulbure, B. T. (2022). "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272460.
Used for: Short breaks raised energy and reduced fatigue; effects on performance were mixed (set-up).
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
Used for: Self-determination theory: motivation that comes from your own reasons lasts better (why the check starts with your why).
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Used for: Motivational interviewing: the importance question and "why not lower?" (your why).
Wang, G., Wang, Y., & Gai, X. (2021). A meta-analysis of the effects of mental contrasting with implementation intentions on goal attainment. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 565202.
Used for: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (WOOP): a small-to-medium effect on goal attainment across studies (PRO weekly plans).
Where the evidence is mixed
The "mere presence" of a phone. A well-known study reported that simply having your phone on the desk, even face-down, reduced available cognitive capacity (Ward, Duke, Gneezy & Bos, 2017, Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2)). A later replication did not find that effect (Ruiz Pardo & Minda, 2022, Acta Psychologica, 230, 103717). We therefore don't claim that a phone drains your mind just by being there. Our advice to keep it out of sight and reach is our own reasoning: it removes the cue and adds a step between the impulse and the check.
Multitasking. Studies of heavy media multitaskers found weaker filtering of distractions (Ophir, Nass & Wagner, 2009, PNAS, 106(37), 15583–15587), but later work has been mixed on how large and stable that difference is. The meter doesn't use it to score you.
What is our own judgement
The five areas, the twenty statements, the weights, the bands and the rules of the PRO plan are our own reasoned choices, informed by the research above. They have not been fitted to outcome data or validated. The methodology shows all of them.