Most of us check Facebook way too much at work. We know it. Our bosses know it. But one programmer decided to solve his procrastination problem with a method that's equal parts genius and insane: he hired someone to slap him in the face.

Meet Maneesh Sethi, a developer who was so fed up with his own lack of self-control that he posted a Craigslist ad for a "slap administrator." For $8 an hour, her job was simple: watch his screen and deliver a solid smack across the face every time he wandered onto Facebook, Reddit, or any other time-wasting site.

The Results Were Ridiculous

Before hiring his human shock collar, Sethi tracked his productivity at around 38% on a good day. After adding the threat of public humiliation and mild violence to his workflow? His productivity shot up to 98%.

Think about that. He basically tripled his output by introducing a slapping mechanism into his office setup. It's like a productivity app, but with more stinging.

Why It Actually Worked

Immediate consequences – No delayed guilt, just instant face pain
Social pressure – Hard to slack off when someone's literally watching you
Physical deterrent – Your brain learns fast when there's actual discomfort involved
Accountability partner – Except this one has a contract to hit you

Sethi documented the whole experiment on his blog, complete with photos of his "supervisor" mid-slap. The internet loved it. The story went viral, and suddenly everyone was debating whether this was brilliant life-hacking or just deeply concerning workplace behavior.

The Bigger Picture

Here's the thing: Sethi's slap-for-hire stunt was extreme, but it highlighted a real problem. Self-control is hard. Really hard. Especially when your entire job happens on the same device that houses infinite distraction.

Most productivity advice tells you to use willpower, set goals, or download an app that blocks websites. Sethi took a different approach: he removed willpower from the equation entirely. When the consequence is someone physically slapping you in your own workspace, you suddenly find the motivation to stay on task.

Of course, this raises some obvious questions about workplace safety, human resources policies, and whether assault-based productivity methods are scalable. (Spoiler: they're not.)

Don't Try This at Your Office

While Sethi's experiment made for a great story, it's worth noting that most companies frown upon employee-on-contractor violence, even if it's consensual and productivity-enhancing. There are now plenty of apps and browser extensions that can block distracting sites without requiring anyone to get slapped.

But you have to admire the commitment. In a world of gentle nudges and gamified habit trackers, sometimes what you really need is someone willing to smack some sense into you—literally.

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