Gamification is turning a task into a game in order to motivate yourself to do it. The beauty of gamification is that the difficulty of a task (or how dreary it may seem) can be offset if you feel rewarded for completing it.
Understand how gamification works
- Gamification works because it triggers powerful emotions
- By using game mechanics in a non-game context, gamification makes tasks more fun and engaging
- Think of how it feels when you’re transported to another world via an online video game
- You find yourself immersed in a storyline where you’re conquering amazing challenges
Gamifying the workplace
You can do this by setting up work projects like game levels. When you level up, you’re essentially hitting a milestone. You can earn badges for tasks accomplished and track your progress.
Gamification to help you learn
Gamification can make learning more informative and fun, and because you’re more actively involved in the process, the information is more likely to be committed to your long-term memory.
Gamification also lends itself to interactive learning elements, which creates feelings of immersion, so learners feel more integrated into the learning process.
Create your own gamification system
- The first step is to define your goals. These should be specific, so you know when you have reached each one
- Define your goals and attach a certain number of points to each goal correlating to how important (or difficult) each goal is to accomplish
- Track your progress by writing down your daily accomplishments and then comparing your progress over time
- Reward yourself once you reach a set number of points
Boost productivity through “mini-games”
You can use gamification to increase your productivity by making “mini-games” while doing chores or ticking off daily tasks. Try assigning a point for each dish washed, or 5 points for each page completed for a report or for each email sent.
Ticking off checklist items triggers the same dopamine release as achieving a game objective, and if you give yourself a small reward after each item is checked, you’ll reinforce your motivation to keep going.
