Before you
shake on it.
Two friends. One goal. Six things to agree before “you know what I meant” becomes the group chat’s busiest phrase.
A good Pact should make showing up feel easier — and leave both of you knowing what counts. Use this checklist together, then bring in your trusted Adjudicator.
Get your Pact straight ↓Save this page for your next Pact. Send it to the friend you’d make one with.
Clear now. Kinder later.
Tick each point when everyone agrees. These ticks stay on the page while it is open; they are not saved or submitted.
What are we actually doing?
Choose the goal and define success in plain language. Decide whether you’re competing with each other or working towards a shared finish. Pick something that fits your own circumstances.
Try: “For this example, we each agree to two gym visits per week.”
When does it count?
Agree the start, finish and check-in times. Spell out whether your target applies each day, each week or across the whole Pact. A deadline should never be a surprise twist.
Same rule. Both friends.
Agree what you’ll record and what the Adjudicator needs to see. Keep it proportionate and respect each other’s privacy. Decide how to handle a missed entry before it happens.
Life gets a vote.
Illness, injury, travel and family commitments happen. Talk about pauses and changes early. Don’t push through something unsafe to win a Pact. Get everyone’s agreement before changing the rules.
A referee you both trust.
Choose someone who is happy to take the role. Tell them the agreed goal, dates and evidence. Give them a clear way to settle a disagreement without turning it into a public spectacle.
Keep it friendly.
If you choose a reward or forfeit, make it something you both freely agree to and feel comfortable with. Agree what happens in a tie. Stakes are handled between you, outside TriPact.
A missed day is information.
It isn’t your identity.
Be honest about what happened. Agree the next step. Give your friend the kind of encouragement you’d want on your own difficult day.
Support can sound like: “Want to check in tomorrow?” It doesn’t need to sound like: “I knew you’d quit.”
Your Pact, in one breath.
“We’re agreeing to [goal] from [start] to [finish]. Success means [clear target]. We’ll check in [when] using [evidence]. [Adjudicator] will call it fairly. If life interrupts, we’ll [agreed approach]. Our stakes and tie rule are [agreement].”
If either of you would fill in the blanks differently, you’re not quite ready to shake on it. That’s useful to find out now.
Do we need identical targets?
Agree targets that make sense for your chosen Pact and for each person. Clarity and mutual agreement matter more than choosing a target to impress someone else.
What if we disagree halfway through?
Return to the rules you agreed and involve your Adjudicator. If a rule needs changing, get everyone’s agreement instead of quietly rewriting it.
Can we use this without the app?
Yes. This checklist is free to use with a friend. TriPact brings two Challengers and a trusted Adjudicator together around weight, steps and gym goals; the app is coming to iPhone and Android.
A practical planning checklist, not a legal contract or personalised health advice. Examples are illustrative.
Got a friend in mind?
Send them this page. Start with: “Fancy making a Pact? Let’s agree the rules together.”
You can bookmark it, screenshot the six checks, or use your browser’s Print option to keep a copy.
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