Gamify Your Life
Have you ever put a Pomodoro timer and tried to 'make' yourself sit and play a video game? Filled with worry and anxiety if you would do well? Looking for motivation on the internet to play? Sounds silly. Yet we do this all the time for 'actual work'.
It is fascinating how games hook you in. And keep you hooked. Grinding to achieve the best levels. In a game you just do. You just have fun. Keep playing and get good in a very short period without even noticing.
For over a year I gamified my life using an app called 'Habit RPG'. You go on quests, slay dragons, and earn gold coins. All fictional, but to earn them you need to do 'real world' tasks. Do 10 pushups to earn 10 coins and 100xp. Study for 4 hours and get 400 coins and 1000 xp. You can set the tasks and rewards. I also increased difficulties and rewards periodically to give me the feeling of progression in a game.
But one day I was a level 110 wizard, having beaten almost every quest. There was no more challenge and I just stopped caring about the game. That's when things went sideways. The problem was that I still hadn't gamified my life. I just attached my 'real' tasks to a game. It helped while it lasted. But it misses the point.
You grind that ML textbook because you have a skill issue you want to resolve. You want to get to the next level. Earn real experience, and real coins(ie: money). I have seen a friend implement this framework successfully. It is very powerful. I do this for certain aspects of my life but have other ways of being productive these days. Something I have talked about in previous essays.
Gamification is powerful. Use it to your advantage.