Gamification as a tool for your business: 5-step process
You want to be more focused in your business, but you’re struggling to do it. Some projects just aren’t as enjoyable as others! It’s challenging to stay on track and manage your time effectively when you’re bored to tears and dragging your feet with various non-negotiable tasks.
And since those tasks need to be done, regardless of whether you want to do them… it’s time to shift your approach.
One of my favourite methods for doing this is to gamify your work. That’s right: think outside the box and put in place creative strategies to have fun with it again!
This is a strategy I have applied in so many different areas of my life over the years—including, and sometimes especially, in my business. It’s about taking the pressure off yourself to do things a certain way, and instead ask yourself, “What would make this experience more enjoyable for me? How can I have fun with it? What can I do to make it feel less like a chore?”
If there’s a task that you need to do in your business anyway, then why waste all that time and energy in disliking it?
Our brains are extremely susceptible to persuasion. And that’s actually a good thing, because it means we have it in us to alter our mindset and to shift our perceptions. Take advantage of that in your own life and business!
For example, one of the ways I like to do this is by using a colour-coded sticky note system for my task list. It makes my heart happy to look at my upcoming tasks and see all that bright colour, organized into an aesthetic layout. As a result, I actually want to complete the tasks that I list for myself: gamification at work.
Here’s another example: when I get bogged down in my work and it’s not as much fun, I’ll have a “work party” with a friend, wherein we’ll get together with our computers and work out of the same space, or I’ll treat myself to a fancy latte at my favourite coffee shop while I do my work.
It’s about figuring out ways to bring a little more enjoyment and fun to the task, no matter how small they might seem.
A third example of gamification is to use artistic expression. For example, your business plan doesn’t have to be a tedious, boring document. Your business plan is an organic, living document, and it’s a tool for you to use. What will make you want to actively use it as a business tool? Instead of filling it with jargon, perhaps you find it more appealing to create a visual, artistic rendering of a business plan, using coloured markers and stickers. Heck, throw in some glitter if you want!
It’s your business, and your business plan is something you should actively refer to on an ongoing basis, so it doesn’t matter if something within that creative process seems silly or childlike—the important thing is that you enjoy it, and that it’s useful for you.
Now that you have a few examples of gamification at work, you might be wondering, “How can I apply this concept of gamification to my own situation?”
It comes down to a 5-step process…
Identify the tasks you always procrastinate on, or which ones you really dislike. If you have a long list, then begin with choosing the top one or two tasks.
Brainstorm things you actually enjoy. A reward system? A pretty aesthetic? Again, it doesn’t matter how silly it seems. This is for you!
Link the task from Step 1 to that thing you enjoy in Step 2. How can you pair them together? How can you apply something you really like to something that isn’t as sexy or exciting in your business? This is a great time to use mind mapping as a brainstorming tool.
Implement your creative idea. Whether it’s giving yourself a reward of a 30-minute break after you finish a specific task, or buying yourself rose gold office supplies so you get excited about spending time in your home office, actually DO it.
Assess & revise as needed. It’s okay if your first attempt at gamification doesn’t work. So much in life and in business is about trial and error. After you’ve tried your new strategy for a while, if it doesn’t work, then assess WHY it didn’t work, and try something new!
Now that you know what you need to do to gamify your business, it’s time to put it into action! Identify one or two things that aren’t as exciting for you, and explore ways to make them more enjoyable. You’ve got this!
Sagan Morrow teaches busy, time-crunched solopreneurs how to build their own successful home-based businesses—without the overwhelm—through her online courses at SaganMorrow.com.
Specializing in productivity tips and action-oriented strategic planning, Sagan has a decade of experience as a freelance writer and hosts the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Connect with her @Saganlives on Twitter or Instagram.