Caveday Review (How to kill procrastination in 2025 and beyond)
Considering trying out Caveday.org? I’m a real paid user, and here, I’ll go through:
How does Caveday work?
How much does Caveday cost?
Is Caveday worth it?
And some FAQs, where I’ll unleash as much information as I can.
I’m reviewing as someone with ADHD, but more specifically as a chronic procrastinator.
The TL/DR answer to ‘IS CAVEDAY WORTH IT?:
I was sceptical before I joined Caveday.
I’m fairly cynical when it comes to ‘Gimmicky’ things (plus cynical in general cause…y’know, I’m British.)
It’s no exaggeration to say that I got more work accomplished in the two weeks of my Caveday free trial than I did in the two months before that. (Yes, really.)
Since I joined, I’ve attended hundreds of caves (and counting), and I’ve got a LOT of shit done.
I don’t really believe in magic bullets, but if you’re like me, and you struggle to just DO THINGS, Caveday is the most effective way to make yourself be productive as I’ve ever found.
Literally the ony thing I recommend more is just turning your internet off altogether, which isn’t always an option.
If that’s all you want to know and you want to crack on with a free trial to Caveday and test it without paying anything…
If you want more detail, let’s get cracking…
Procrastination: 20 years of struggle
I’m a professional writer, and an expert procrastinator.
I was finally diagnosed with ADHD aged 37, and thought that medication might be the solution I was looking for.
In the end, I felt let down by what the meds could do. It’s not that they didn’t help at all. On a semi-bad procrastination day, they got the job done, for sure.
But on the brutal procrastination days…the days where I sit in agony, wanting to work but feeling completely unable to…
The meds don’t seem to touch the sides.
So, when I stumbled across Caveday, and saw the apparently life-changing impact it had made on other people who struggle with this…
I thought it was at least worth a try. In a kind of' ‘well, how much worse can it get?’ sense.
How does Caveday Work?
Caveday is essentially an organised ‘body doubling’ community.
‘Body doubling’ sounds like something out of an alien invasion movie. Don’t worry, it’s not.
It just means, ‘having someone else there to watch you and hold you accountable for doing the thing you need to do.’
What science there is around body doubling for ADHD indicates it’s a good idea.
(But to be honest, I always feel like whenever I get obsessed with finding as much science as I can around a topic rather than just trying something for myself, I’m probably just procrastinating anyway.)
Anyway, Caveday is a monthly membership site, which hosts ‘Caves’.
These are online group working sessions, done over Zoom, hosted by a mix of different people.
In other words, you go into a chat room with other people who’re struggling to work, and everyone works together.
Doesn’t sound particularly life changing, does it? Prepare to be surprised.
Anyway, here’s how Caveday works…
You sign up for a 14 day trial.
Book a cave from the list provided (they run almost 24 hours a day, barring a few hours in the middle of the night US time)
You pick the one task you want to work on, and put your phone and any other distractions away
About 15 minutes before your Cave is due to open, you’ll get an email containing a link (or you can access the link from your member’s area)
You follow the link through Zoom, and get into the cave.
Your mic is automatically muted by the host, but your camera is on (you can turn it off if you need to)
The host welcomes everyone, then sends everyone in smaller groups of 3-5 to a breakout room. Here, you briefly say who you are and what you’re working on. (You don’t have to do this bit if you don’t want to, so don’t let it put you off.)
Once you’re back from the breakout room, the host officially starts the ‘Cave’ , and you crack on with your work.
47-52 minutes later, the host tells you to stop working.
And besides the chance to put anything you’re proud of finishing into the chat box at the end, you’re all done.
That’s it?
That’s it. Very simple. And for me, it’s been transformative.
What else can you use the Cave to do? I’m not a writer.
Here’s a list of the various things I’ve seen people use the Cave for:
· Writing (me)
· Editing audio and video
· Tidying up their living room
· Yoga
· Reading
· Guitar and piano practise
· Learning lines
· Painting and sculpture
· Studying
· Coding
· Grading papers
· Planning lessons
· Graphic design
· Clearing up their email inbox
And – this is my favourite – literally making physical puppets to be used in a play.
So, I can pretty much do anything I’m struggling to do in a Cave?
Pretty much. Remember, your webcam is on in the session, but your mic is automatically muted, so you don’t have to worry about making noise.
(I occasionally listen to death metal while I’m working, and have done so on several caves without alarming the nice people there.)
And you just keep Zoom on? Isn’t it weird to just have people watching you work?
Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous about this, too. Like, people are going to be watching me type?
It only took about five minutes of my first cave for me to stop worrying about it. Truth is, no-one is specifically watching you. Everyone is there to work on their own stuff.
And actually, I find it quite nice these days. It’s a comforting thing, to know that you’re working with other people who struggle to get things done.
And, in your own, way, you’re helping them to get things done as much as they’re helping you.
There’s a nice sense of community, too.
I’m very happy in my own company (an introverted writer, shocking right?) but I work at home a lot. It’s very easy to feel a bit isolated.
Even though I barely talk to anyone, it feels nice to log on and be part of a community who are all – let’s face it – probably similar to me in terms of getting stuff done.
Also, remember that these are random people dotted around the globe. This isn’t like having your boss/co-workers/friends/spouse staring at you.
That, I concede, probably would suck a bit.
What if I have a weird schedule?
Caves seem to run virtually 24/7, with hosts all over the world.
Put it this way, Caveday is mostly US-centric, but I’m on UK time and I’ve never not been able to use Caveday when I need it.
Sometimes, the European time sessions are quieter, but that doesn’t really matter to me.
As long as 3-4 people are in there, that’s enough. Though the most I’ve ever seen was more than 80 people.
How long are Caveday sessions?
Usually they’re an hour start-to-finish. Twice a day there will be a 3-hour session, which is basically 3 sessions broken up with breaks at the beginning and end.
Caves run concurrently, though, so you can do as many hour long sessions in a row as you want or need to. (I often do two in a row in the afternoon, to finish the day strong.)
Within that hour, the actual period of work is between 47-52 minutes, and the host chooses exactly how long. (I’ll explain why in a minute.)
Is it flexible? What if I have to leave early?
It’s fine. You just post a message in the chat and duck out, it happens.
Obviously the goal is always to do the whole session, but life gets in the way.
(I had to duck out once because a workman started drilling into the wall outside and I literally could not concentrate anymore.)
Do you have to turn your phone off?
Again, it’s not a hard and fast rule. Obviously, Caveday is designed to improve your focus and help you get single tasks done.
I do turn my phone off, or put it on airplane mode, because I want to focus. But this isn’t school, and everyone has emergencies!
Do I have to talk to people in the breakout rooms if I don’t want to?
Nope. To be honest, I wasn’t planning to do it. I still don’t do it every time.
These days, I really like spending a couple of minutes talking with other people.
Everyone I’ve spoken to in the chats has been friendly and encouraging, wishing each other good luck for the session.
In a world where we’re isolated at home a lot, it’s a pleasant break.
But no, you don’t have to. There are many people who come in, don’t talk, work silently and leave. You can, too.
Why 47-52 minutes of time
It stops you (and me!) clock watching.
The theory is quite clever. If you know what time you’re working until, you might become fixated on the time, and start counting down.
It’s much easier to get into a flow state of working if you’re not sure what time a session is going to finish.
What if I get onto a roll and don’t want to stop when the session stops?
This happens to me quite often!
Either stay on the Zoom and just do the next session, or log out of Zoom and use the momentum to work on your own for as long as you want.
I’ve done both, and I can tell you it’s a lovely feeling to not only not struggle to work – but to really get into it enough that I don’t want to stop!
Sometimes, of course, you’ll get so much done in one session that you don’t need to do the one after.
How many people are in the sessions?
The most I’ve ever seen was more than 80 people, the least – usually in the UK mornings – is around 8.
What are the hosts like?
Really nice people. I’ve done sessions with about 10 different hosts, and they’re all friendly and welcoming, with their own energies.
There aren’t any hosts I avoid.
Did you write this review in a Cave?
Hell yes. I put together the first draft of this review in a Cave, on a Tuesday, while listening to the Jurassic Park soundtrack.
1,500 words in less than an hour. And it flew past.
How much is Caveday? (Is Caveday
worth it?)
There are basically 3 levels of membership at the time I write this, assuming you want to pay monthly:
· Basic $9.99 a month (you can go into 4 caves a month)
· Unlimited $39.99 a month (Unlimited caves)
· Premium $366.67 (Unlimited caves and 2 hours of personal coaching each month)
(You can save $5 a month if you pay quarterly.)
Which tier would you recommend?
To me, Unlimited is the membership that’ll make most sense for most people. For $39.99 a month, you can book as many sessions as you like.
Premium, meanwhile, strikes me as a very expensive option. Basically, it’s the same as Unlimited, but you get 2 hours of personal coaching for the add-on price of $320, which is a high rate.
Basic, meanwhile, only gives you 4 sessions a month. To be honest, if you only need to use it four times a month, you’re probably already good at getting stuff done, and Caveday might be overkill for you!
My advice: take the 14 day free trial and see if it works for you.
Unlimited Membership comes with a 14 day free trial.
I had no idea going in if Caveday would work for me. I used it for two weeks before I gave them any money.
For me, those two weeks were so transformative that I was basically delighted to pay for a membership. (A membership I’m still using today.)
But, as always, try things yourself to see if they work for you 😊
What has Caveday done for me?
You’ve probably gathered by now that I’m a fan.
Here’s why I think you’ll benefit from Caveday:
You can be more productive. I’m getting more done in a week than I used to get done in a month. More importantly, I am working consistently, every day. Even on days where I’m tired, or grumpy, I’m still getting the work done. I have never, in my life, worked this consistently.
You can potentially enjoy better mental health. I feel like I’m working closer to my real capabilities, and I’m going to bed every night feeling good about what I achieved, rather than fearing another day of procrastination torture and ruined potential tomorrow.
You can enjoy your down time more when you feel you’ve earned it. On bad procrastination weeks, I couldn’t relax in the evening. I would sit in front of the TV without watching it. I’d basically sit and feel like I was wasting my life away. On better days, when I get stuff done, that doesn’t happen as much. Caveday helps me have more better days.
Who would I not recommend Caveday to?
Of course, everyone is different. For me, Caveday was the perfect tool at the perfect time.
But it’s probably not for you if…
If you’re actually good at consistently getting things done, but you get annoyed when you have the odd bad day.
Honestly, I think Caveday will still help you in this situation. But be nicer to yourself! Everyone I know – even the kick-ass, consistent, achievement machines - have the odd bad day.
If you’re the productivity equivalent of people who have 6-pack abs but still talk about how fat they feel all the time, this probably isn’t for you.
If you can’t afford it
Look, I’ve been in situations where I couldn’t pay $40 for something like this, because that was my food budget. It sucks, and I understand.
Don’t be choosing Caveday membership over food and warmth. Start with Freedom, which is a cheaper option and very effective.
What if you’re in the middle ground, where you don’t have a lot of disposable income but you could probably afford Caveday by cutting back on a few luxuries?
I think that in this case, what matters is how miserable procrastination is making you. Does procrastination make you miserable, and have a negative effect on your mental health?
That was my situation, and that’s why Caveday works for me. In the end, it helps make me happier and more productive.
(Also, if you want to be more mathematical about this all - there’s a high chance that procrastinating less will mean you can earn more money. If you spend $39.99 each month, but you do enough additional work to earn an additional $100, it’s a no-brainer.)
What if I procrastinate a bit but I’m not actually worried about it?
Just because procrastination drives me insane, doesn’t mean it has to do the same for you.
I am massively envious of people who feel great about themselves all year round, no matter how much they do or don’t get done. Seriously.
If you’re happy how you are, and you’re only reading this because you think – or, worse, someone else has told you – you ‘should’ be more productive, ignore them.
Like making any kind of change in life, if you don’t really want it, it probably won’t happen.
I was desperate to change. I was sick of under-performing in life. I have spent most of my adult like feeling like procrastination ruins my life.
And that’s why Caveday has worked so well for me.
If that’s how you feel, it might do the same for you, too.
Summary
As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m a fan of Caveday, I proudly recommend it to anyone I know that’s struggling to get done what they want to get done.
Creative work. Day job work. Music practise. Side-hustles. Whatever it is, Caveday can help you do it.
I don’t like calling anything life-changing. But as the most Chronic of Chronic Procrastinators, Caveday has certainly changed mine.
Want an easier, less procrastinate-y life?: