Gamifying My Life

Have you ever found yourself struggling to stay motivated while working on a challenging coding project? You sit down, set a timer, and try to force yourself to code, but you’re filled with self-doubt and anxiety, wondering if you’ll be able to solve the complex problems that lie ahead. You even find yourself browsing coding forums, seeking motivation and guidance. It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Yet, we often approach our work and responsibilities with this very mindset.

The fascinating thing about video games is how they effortlessly draw you in and keep you engaged for hours on end. You find yourself grinding away to level up your character, completely immersed in the virtual world. In a game, you simply play. You have fun, keep progressing, and improve your skills rapidly without even realizing it.

I once embarked on a personal experiment to gamify my life using an app called ‘LifeQuest’. In this virtual world, I would take on challenges, defeat monsters, and earn experience points and virtual currency. While these rewards were fictional, they were tied to real-world tasks. Doing a 30-minute workout would earn me 50 points and 10 gold coins, while completing a chapter of a programming book would grant me 100 points and 20 gold coins. I had the power to customize the tasks and rewards, and I gradually increased the difficulty and payouts to simulate the feeling of progression found in games.

For several months, I lived as a high-level rogue, tackling daily quests and leveling up my skills. However, as I reached the upper echelons of the game, I found my enthusiasm waning. The challenges had become repetitive, and my motivation began to dwindle. It was then that I realized the crux of the issue: I hadn’t truly gamified my life; I had merely attached my real-world tasks to a game-like system. While it was beneficial for a time, it didn’t address the underlying problem.

The key to successful gamification lies in understanding the intrinsic motivations behind our actions. When you grind through that challenging coding problem, it’s because you have a skill you want to develop, a level of mastery you want to attain. You’re driven by the desire to gain real experience and reap the rewards, both in terms of knowledge and potential career advancement. I’ve seen a colleague implement this framework with remarkable results, and I can vouch for its transformative potential.

Gamification, when applied strategically, can be an incredibly effective tool. By tapping into the inherent mechanisms that make games so captivating, we can reframe our approach to work and personal growth. So, instead of forcing yourself to slog through tasks with a sense of dread, try viewing them as challenges to overcome, milestones to reach. Embrace the process, and let the power of gamification propel you towards your objectives.