The Share Price

In the predecessor to Athenify – the Study Journal – there is a tool that provides motivation throughout the entire semester: the share price. Naturally, Athenify also features the share price. In this article, learn how you too can use the share price to stay consistently motivated with Athenify.

Going Public

When a company goes public (IPO, initial public offering), banks help set an initial price for a portion of the company. Over time, the price of the company rises or falls depending on how market participants assess the company's future success.

In Athenify, your share price starts at 0. Your goal during the semester is to keep raising the share price.

How Does the Share Price Work?

Your personal share price starts at 0 at the beginning of your semester. In Athenify, you define a daily study goal for each day of the semester, e.g., 180 minutes (3 hours). Each day, one of three scenarios will occur:

1. You hit your study goal exactly: Then your share price remains the same as the previous day. The price only reacts to deviations from your study goal.
2. You study more than the set goal: Then your share price rises by the delta from actual to target. If the target is 180 minutes and you study 200 minutes, your share price rises by the difference – 20 minutes.
3. You study less than the set goal: Then your share price falls by the delta from actual to target. If the target is 180 minutes and you study 100 minutes, your share price falls by the difference – 80 minutes.

Overall, your share price shows how much more (positive price) or how much less (negative price) you have studied over the entire semester.

Ups and Downs

Throughout the semester, the share price will rise and fall on some days. This is completely normal. It's rarely possible to exceed the study goal every single day. But that's not a problem. When you exceed your goal on good days, it positively affects your share price. The share price thus always shows whether you are overall above or below your target study time.

Always Motivated

The share price keeps your motivation high throughout the entire semester. It encourages you to make up for bad days with good days. And if you consistently exceed your goals, the share price will soar. This gives you the confidence to take your foot off the gas and relax a bit.

Setting the Right Goals

But beware: The share price as a motivational tool only works if you set your daily study goals wisely.

• If you set your daily goals too low, the share price will rise (more easily), but you might end up studying too little overall. The share price becomes artificially high.
• If you set your daily goals too high, it will be very difficult to raise the share price. A falling share price might even demotivate you.

The key is to set daily goals that are challenging but not overwhelming. You should feel a sense of accomplishment with 100% goal achievement. And when you exceed the goal, it should feel very rewarding. Then, the goals are set correctly.