Recently I made a post about having lost all my previous content. I have since found backups of some content. This post is one such piece. I originally published this in 2021 for an assignment in my studies of digital media and gamification.
I know I can’t be the only writer who let’s the laundry pile up, can’t find their keyboard for all the mugs on their desk, and thinks that making the bed consists of leaving the covers in a heap because I’ll-probably-be-back-there-soon-in-a-state-of-misery-because-my-characters-are-not-behaving is perfectly acceptable.
Okay. Maybe I am the only writer who does all of that.
Finding time and motivation to move through everyday tasks as well as work—whatever that entails for you—can be really challenging. However, if you’re someone who likes to utilize the power of apps, there may be some helpful solutions out there for you! I tried some of them, so you don’t have to (unless you want to).
Habitica
Ever heard of Habitica before? If not, it’s a gamified habit building app. What do I mean by ‘gamified’? I wrote about how to grow your social media presence with gamification recently, but simply put: gamification is when we apply game elements (leaderboards, points systems, rewards, community, avatars, to name a few), to non-game contexts. So, what exactly is Habitica?
The goal of using Habitica is to make developing new habits fun. They have a points system that allows you to level up and take part in role-play game (RPG) style quests. You can hatch pets, choose weapons, and choose what class (Warrior, Mage, Healer, Rogue) you want to be.
As a concept, I absolutely love it. I’m a nerd through and through, and it’s been too long since I’ve been able to spend time with friends playing Dungeons and Dragons. I have to admit though, that for me I still prefer writing a good old fashioned to-do list. Nothing beats the satisfaction of physically crossing a completed item off a list. That said, I can definitely see the benefit of Habitica. It is fun.
Forest
Forest is different again, but I’m just going to get this out of the way: I actually genuinely love Forest. Let me explain.
Another gamified app, Forest allows you to set timers dedicated to keeping you focused on a set task for a time limit pre-determined by yourself. You can also set break times after your first run through, which is great for those who use the Pomodoro Technique to get their work or any other task done (in regard to writing specifically, we’re talking about writing sprints here).
Where it becomes gamified is when you successfully complete a timed task. If you make it through undistracted, it’ll plant a little tree for you in the app and you’ll earn coins for your efforts. You can save those coins to buy different looking trees for your forest, or you can save those coins to have real trees planted.
I really love that real world, positive environmental impact. All you need to do is sit down and focus on the tasks at hand to achieve it!
These two apps were the ones I gave my undivided attention to while exploring productivity tools to help with my writing, but they are by far not the only ones out there!
Others you could give a go:
If you know of any others, I’d love it if you shared them! You could reply in the comments below, join the discussion on Discord, or send me a tweet!
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