Phased roadmap with proof

What it does in Road Mates

When you set a goal, Road Mates turns it into a road: a sequence of phases, each ending in a proof. A proof is something you can show, such as a photo, a file, a link or a short write-up, and you cannot pass the phase without it.

Curated goals come with phase templates. Novel goals get a generated road that you can edit before you start.

How it works

• Each phase names one concrete outcome, not a vague intention.
• The proof requirement turns “I think I did it” into “here it is”.
• Phases are small enough to finish in days or weeks, so there is always a next step in view.
• Passing a phase unlocks the next one and, if you staked, returns part of your stake.

What the research found

The closest well-studied idea is the implementation intention: a plan that says when, where and how you will act (“If it is 7am, I will write for 30 minutes”). A meta-analysis of 94 tests found a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment, around d = 0.65.

A phase with a named proof is the same idea at the scale of a whole goal: it fixes what counts as done and makes the next action specific.

Limits

• The studies tested short plans for single behaviors. Whole multi-month roads are less studied.
• We shrink this effect before using it in the combined estimate.
• A weak roadmap with soft proofs will not get the full benefit. Quality of the phases matters.