Personal development, goal achievement and long term motivation through gaming: READ

[Gozunn]

GAME OF LIFE


I have invented an efficient method to stay motivated through a very long period. This may not work to you but I have certainly achieved results through it and I can't not share it with you.

No don't get excited its not via PS2 or Xbox. This is a more ancient form of gaming.

Life is a game...at least in this point of view it is. And in a game everyone wants to win, and they enjoy working as long as they win.

So here's How it works:

Step 1:

Grab a piece of paper or open a Microsoft Word document.

Step 2: Write your 'Golden rules', WTF are golden rules you might ask. These are the things that you MUST do everyday. Don't make too many or the game will backfire.

Step 3: Award points to your golden rules according to their difficulty

Here's an example of the 3 steps so far:

The Golden Rules

1. Sleep for 6 hours a day at most- 2 pts
2. Study for 1 hour- 4 pts
3. Meditate for 10 mins at least- 1 pt

Step 4: Now write your 'Silver Bonuses', these are the rest of your goals (I have 18 silver bonuses) but unlike the Golden rules they are not compulsory everyday. Write as much as you can and like the Golden rules award point according to difficulty. Some may be one-time things, such as : 'Go to therapy' (hehe) and others may be a thing you need to do everyday such as: 'learn something new' or if you need to be specific 'learn one new italian word everyday'

Step 5: Now add up your pts Golden and silver and see the maximum you can get within the time period you choose. (note that the maximum is impossible to achieve,at least my maximum is. It is very very very hard to achieve). Anyways now you have to write the required amount of pts you have to achieve by the end of the time period. Obviously the requirements have to be above the golden rules maximum since that is compulsory.

Step 6: Okay so now write 'penalties and rewards', first write the penalties and think of some of the worst punishments you can do to yourself. Make them really severe for the golden rules and write the number of offenses you think you can endure before you finally can't make any more offenses and you have to cancel the game (the last offense is: failure in life lol). Now write the penalties for not meeting the required amount of pts. THEN write the rewards for exceeding the amount of pts. (Vary this by the amount of pts you exceed the required amount)

Step 7: grab another piece of paper and write the number of days in your period of time and leave a space next to it. Every night before you sleep write how many pts you gained that day and what tasks you completed (the golden rules should always be there), if you have any offenses write them down and write when you are going to implement the punishment.

I bet you're real confused huh??


Anyways choose a time period to perform this game and create a new set of 'rules' once this one is over.

My time period is 28 days (4 weeks) cause I see weeks instead of days. So for me its a 28 day trial not a 30 day one.

My penalties include not doing the things I like for a set period of time e:g like not going out or not using the computer.

My rewards include days off after the game, but don't make this a very long period of time because it would be real hard to adjust again. My longest is a week and THAT's for a great amount of pts.

My golden rules maximum is: 280
my required amount is: 450
and my impossible maximum is: 1116

There that's just to give an idea how it works...um I bet you're still confused huh?? Oh well whatever...just read what you understood and make it work for you OR better yet ignore this thread completely. Heh just wanted to share this 'Life is a game' method with you. Currently a week gone and no slip-ups and usually I don't get through the first three days so...yup its worked pretty much worked handsomely for me

[Jonathan Mead]

This is very interesting. Hey if it works for you, go for it. Turning my life into a definition of points would not be a fun game for me. But everyone is different, so I say, if it works for you, more power to you.

[sadavis00]

"Step 2: Write your 'Golden rules', WTF are golden rules you might ask. These are the things that you MUST do everyday. Don't make too many or the game will backfire. "

I agree that to build discipline, rewarding and punishing yourself will work (though there is the problem of starting to feel like you are a military dictator to yourself). But, I think you should be more clear with Step 2. The "golden rules" are not stuff you "MUST do". Rather, they are things that align with your character and nature, such that there is clear direction as to what to do next, such that it leaves you with no regrets after you do something; a direction you DISCOVER (not invent) in yourself (so, studying for 2 hours has an opportunity cost of not hanging out with friends, I recognize this opportunity cost, but I do not regret studying for 2 hours, it follows from the direction of my life, I could not have reasonally/morally done otherwise).

The idea of "game" is appealing, but in real life there are no hard-and-fast rules that are either given to you, nor which you already "have" (like the "rule" that I "must" do well on a test). We are not ALL playing life as "just a game", maybe only some of are, maybe those who don't yet have a direction, an inner compass. If life is a game, then it is a strange one, because it doesn't matter how much effort you put into it or how intelligent you are; how you do in all the "missions". No, what you have to do to really "WIN", is to do things feeling like a winner, that is all. If you do things feeling like a loser, even if do well in all the hurdles others set for you, or you yourself set for yourself, you will not "win", unless you do so with the right inner attitude of being a winner (an attitude that has nothing to do with whether you "win" at some mission or not).

I don't mean to be moralizing, but I've tried this idea of "life as a game", life which has to be lived "efficiently" (exactly what I used to think), and it simply does not work without having a proper inner compass for what one should do that will not lead to no regrets (even if you make mistakes). Life can be lived like just a game, but it will not be be very good life.

[ken nubo]

Sounds interesting but god, this thing is soooooo dorky.

Kinda reminds me of D and D, heh.

[Gozunn]

Originally Posted by sadavis00

"Step 2: Write your 'Golden rules', WTF are golden rules you might ask. These are the things that you MUST do everyday. Don't make too many or the game will backfire. "

I agree that to build discipline, rewarding and punishing yourself will work (though there is the problem of starting to feel like you are a military dictator to yourself). But, I think you should be more clear with Step 2. The "golden rules" are not stuff you "MUST do". Rather, they are things that align with your character and nature, such that there is clear direction as to what to do next, such that it leaves you with no regrets after you do something; a direction you DISCOVER (not invent) in yourself (so, studying for 2 hours has an opportunity cost of not hanging out with friends, I recognize this opportunity cost, but I do not regret studying for 2 hours, it follows from the direction of my life, I could not have reasonally/morally done otherwise).

The idea of "game" is appealing, but in real life there are no hard-and-fast rules that are either given to you, nor which you already "have" (like the "rule" that I "must" do well on a test). We are not ALL playing life as "just a game", maybe only some of are, maybe those who don't yet have a direction, an inner compass. If life is a game, then it is a strange one, because it doesn't matter how much effort you put into it or how intelligent you are; how you do in all the "missions". No, what you have to do to really "WIN", is to do things feeling like a winner, that is all. If you do things feeling like a loser, even if do well in all the hurdles others set for you, or you yourself set for yourself, you will not "win", unless you do so with the right inner attitude of being a winner (an attitude that has nothing to do with whether you "win" at some mission or not).

I don't mean to be moralizing, but I've tried this idea of "life as a game", life which has to be lived "efficiently" (exactly what I used to think), and it simply does not work without having a proper inner compass for what one should do that will not lead to no regrets (even if you make mistakes). Life can be lived like just a game, but it will not be be very good life.

Well its worked handsomely for me so far (8 days and counting), I think it will get a bit stale as I reach the 4th week but if it doesen't work it will at least have helped me through the first stages of self discipline. These stages are difficult and I could only get through to them in a 'fun' way (as fun as you can get), but its only fun because its fresh I think it'll sicken me once a certain period of time has passed (I won't want to look at numbers again for sure) but afterwards I won't need the game to pursue my goals everyday because once you develop a habit (good and bad) you tend to keep it. So I still believe there's some substance to this idea.


Can you elaborate on how you went about YOUR way of 'life as a game'?

Originally Posted by ken nubo

Sounds interesting but god, this thing is soooooo dorky.

Kinda reminds me of D and D, heh.

It IS geeky, but hell I've spent 3/4 of my life as a lazy-ass jock, time to start something new

[bf1983]

Cool idea - I've never thought of life like this.

I suppose that's what makes it so amazing is that we all see it differently. You see it as a game, I see it as a butterfly;

- Fragile
- Fleeting
- Beautiful

Brian

[2ko]

I acually thought of the same idea. I just never figured out details, or wrote it down, or did it. Great invention. I will look forward to testing for myself eventualy.

[martin]

Very interesting!

[Trezker]

Sorry but this guide is incompatible with Linux users.

Good stuff otherwise though.