01
Plan ahead
Choose the number of windows and their activation times around your goals and the day you actually have: work, meals, and time for yourself.
THE KURB METHODOLOGY
A plan for less.
More room for your life.
Cutting back starts with a decision. Kurb gives that decision a place in your day: scheduled access, a physical boundary, and a weekly review as you work toward moderation, gradual reduction, or quitting.
MAKE THE CHOICE EARLIER
Plan your access.
Keep room for real life.
You choose how many access windows you want and when each becomes active. Putting that plan in place ahead of time is a form of precommitment: arranging your future options to support a goal you have already chosen.
EXAMPLE · ACCESS STARTS AT
12:00 PM
Before your access timeAvailable until opened
Plans changed? Your access is waiting.
If you haven’t opened Kurb, your scheduled access stays available. There’s no fixed end time to rush for.
THE COMPLETE SEQUENCE
From intention
to access.
The app sets the timing. The device gives that decision a physical place.
- 01
Set the schedule
In the Kurb app, choose how many access windows you want and when each one becomes active.
- 02
Store your item
Place a compatible item inside the device and close it. The physical boundary now carries the plan into your day.
- 03
Access becomes available
When an active time arrives, Kurb makes access available according to the schedule.
- 04
Open when you’re ready
You do not have to open it at the exact start time. If you wait, that access remains available until you open Kurb.
- 05
Close and continue
Afterward, close the device again so it can follow the next access state in your schedule.
Pairing, emergency access, charging, and low-battery behavior can vary by device and firmware. Pilot participants receive device-specific setup guidance before they begin.
FROM AN INTENTION TO A ROUTINE
Three parts.
One everyday practice.
02
Make space
Keep your items in the compatible Kurb device. Its physical boundary gives your earlier decision a role when you would otherwise reach automatically.
03
Review your week
Look back at your opens, skipped windows, emergency unlocks, and days without using. Use that picture to reflect on your next step.
YOUR WEEKLY REVIEW
See the pattern.
Choose your next step.
Your week has more to tell you than whether one day went to plan.
Number of opens
See how often you opened your Kurb device during the week.
Skipped unlock windows
See how many scheduled unlock windows you skipped.
Emergency unlocks used
Review when you needed access outside your plan.
Days without using
Look back at the days recorded without use in your weekly review.
YOUR SCHEDULE STREAK
Give consistency some credit.
Your streak tracks consecutive days following your daily schedule. It recognizes sticking to the plan you chose, whether your goal is moderation or working toward quitting.
What felt manageable? When did you reach for emergency access? What do you want to change next week? Review your plan with those questions in mind, then choose whether to maintain it or adjust your future windows.
Your review reflects app and device records. An opening is not a measurement of consumption, and Kurb cannot detect use outside the device.
GROUNDED IN PRECOMMITMENT RESEARCH
Give your intentions
some backup.
The idea behind Kurb has a scientific foundation: making a decision earlier can change the choices you face later.
What the researchers tested
Participants chose between smaller immediate and larger delayed image rewards. In one condition, they could remove the tempting immediate option in advance; in another, they had to keep resisting it while they waited.
What they found
Precommitment increased choices for larger delayed rewards compared with relying on willpower. The benefit was greater among participants who were more impulsive on the task. Brain imaging also linked precommitment to regions involved in planning and self-control.
How we apply the idea
Kurb applies this principle by letting you schedule access before the urge arrives and giving that plan a physical boundary. The goal is to make your plan easier to follow as you work toward using less or quitting.
This was laboratory research with adult male participants and short delays, not a trial of Kurb or substance cessation. It supports the reasoning behind our approach; Kurb’s real-world outcomes still need to be tested.
MAKE THE GOAL YOUR OWN
Less automatic use.
More say in your day.
You may want to keep cannabis for later in the evening, put more space between nicotine use, or gradually work toward quitting. Your schedule and weekly review give you a way to put that intention into practice and revisit it over time.
Kurb controls access, so fewer windows do not necessarily mean a smaller dose. It does not set a medical taper or replace professional support for substance dependence. Emergency access and low-battery behavior also mean it should not be treated as a tamper-proof safe.
See how it fits different habitsBUILD WITH US
Make room for your next step.
Explore the pilot and tell us where Kurb could fit into your routine.