You've been carrying that thing long enough.
The project you keep “getting back to.” The decision you've been circling for months. The goal that's become background noise you've stopped noticing. You don't need another app. You don't need motivation. You don't need a better system. You need a deadline with teeth.
How it works
Declare
One thing. One deadline. One stake. You put real money on the line — enough to feel it. No hiding. No extensions. The clock starts.
Do the work
Or don't. No reminders. No cheerleading. You said you'd do it. Now you find out if you meant it.
Finish or close
When the deadline hits: Finished? Prove it. You get your stake back — plus a cut of everyone who didn't. Didn't finish? You can still reclaim part of your stake. But only by closing it properly. A short ritual: what you tried, why it stalled, what you're releasing. Complete the closure, get something back. Ghost it, lose everything. Either way, you're done.
Why this works
Most tools help you plan. This one ends the planning.
Most accountability is soft. This one costs money.
Most systems punish failure. This one makes closure count.
You don't need more motivation. You need fewer exits.
The rules
One thing at a time. No stacking goals to feel busy.
Deadlines are final. Extensions cost more than the original stake.
Stakes are pooled. Finishers split what non-finishers lost.
Closure is honored. Ending something properly isn't failure. It's the point.
How money works
Payment
All payments are processed through Stripe — the same infrastructure used by Amazon, Google, and Shopify. Your card details never touch our servers.
The pool
Every stake goes into a shared pool for your cohort. The pool is transparent — you can see the total amount and breakdown on your dashboard at any time.
If you finish
You get your full stake back, plus an equal share of the forfeit pool (money from people who ghosted + 85% of stakes from people who closed). The more people who don't finish, the bigger your bonus.
If you close properly
You get 15% of your stake back. The remaining 85% goes into the forfeit pool and is distributed to finishers. Closure isn't free — but it's not total loss either.
If you ghost
You get nothing. Your entire stake goes into the forfeit pool. No exceptions, no appeals.
Verification
Every completion is manually reviewed. When you submit proof that you finished, a real person checks it before your payout is approved. No rubber stamps, no honor system. This protects the pool — and everyone in it.
When payouts happen
Payouts are processed after the cohort ends — once all deadlines have passed and all submissions have been reviewed. Refunds go back to your original payment method via Stripe.
Note: Staked never profits from your loss. The platform takes no cut of the pool. Every dollar staked is either returned to finishers, partially returned to closers, or redistributed from forfeiters to finishers. Stripe processing fees (2.9% + 30¢) apply at checkout.
Who this is for
Functional but stuck. Too many “almosts” open in your head. Tired of carrying things you're not actually going to do. Not looking for inspiration. Looking for an exit.
The philosophy
Nothing stays undecided. Nothing stays unfinished. Nothing stays consequence-free. Do the thing or let it go. Both are valid. The endless middle is not.
Staked exists to kill the middle.
First cohort is open. 50 people. One stake each. Real deadlines.
47 spots remaining