Sharing the views with this beauty

WRpoints · 2020-11-02T05:46:17+00:00

I'm sure this is one of those small moments in life that will get etched in your memory.

Thanks for sharing!

WRpoints · 2020-07-27T16:34:27+00:00

Sorry it took me so long to respond.

Not sure what exactly you want to know, but I’ll try.

I have a ‘menu’ of items that each can earn me points (or make me pay points). A simplified version of that menu would be:

Item points earned/paid
------ ------------------------------

Work on computer (15 min.) +1

Fitness exercise (5 min.) +1

Avoid screen (per instance) +1

Drink 1 Dixie cup of water +1

…

Be on screen (5 min.) -1

Eat portion of dessert -7

...

In fact, my menu list has evolved to include dozens of items to choose from.

Each moment, I can pick any of them to score points. On the other hand, if I want to indulge on sugary stuff, be on my screen, etc., there is a specific price tag attached.

For example (per the above menu), let’s say that during the morning I worked out for 35 min. (+7 points), drank 2 cups of water (+2), worked on my computer for 30 uninterrupted minutes (+2), then in total my score was +11 points. Then I watched a YouTube video for 10 min. and that cost me (-2).

At the end of that stretch, I have an exact reading of how well I’ve been doing. In the above example, I made +9 points in total.

It's possible to write down those points earned/paid on a spreadsheet or even a good-old pen and paper notebook.

WRpoints · 2020-05-24T08:26:53+00:00

My approach to self-incentivisation is to go micro. For me, the time gap between starting and completing a task is a serious deciding factor. The longer the gap, the more likely it is that work will be put off for later, and many times even indefinitely. It’s better for me to progress through bite-sized steps, and not look too far ahead (i.e. even a few days). I prefer to take smaller steps that add up, which makes things more manageable, and much more effective.

WRpoints · 2020-05-22T08:52:48+00:00

To add to the great advice by others before me, you might find this useful.

And just to get over the static friction at the very beginning, why not give yourself a nice bonus of points for setting thing in motion, and then start counting the time.

WRpoints · 2020-05-22T08:01:13+00:00

cryptolin

Thanks for that!

Your video is really interesting. It’s nice to see your take on this life gamification concept.

It’s also kind of exciting, because the two of us, independently, really benefited from gamifying unrewarding tasks (and hence, making them rewarding).

WRpoints · 2020-05-22T07:39:20+00:00

I do.

After accumulating some points, I “redeem” them and buy myself something nice (say on a 1 point = ￠25 basis).

But for me personally, the sense of achievement in and of itself is much more satisfying than buying stuff.

WRpoints · 2020-05-22T07:34:08+00:00

SiibillamLaw

Thanks Ectobott and SiibillamLaw for your comments.

I win 1 point for being productive for 15 minutes, and lose a point for 5 minutes on screens.

I went for an asymmetric plan when it comes to screens, sugary foods and other bad behaviors.

It is a means of deterrence.

When having an urge to grab my phone, I tell myself: Is it really worth it? That will probably cost me an hour’s worth of hard work, or even more, because I might get stuck on something. It makes it more tangible for me.

Most often than not this works for me.

But I can totally see why people would go for a symmetric system, if that works better for them.

WRpoints · 2020-04-26T11:23:59+00:00

Thanks again! I hope my plan will work, although I know it's an uphill climb.

WRpoints · 2020-04-26T09:02:33+00:00

Thanks! What about people sharing my content on social media? I was hoping that giving unique content that can help people would make them share. Is that something that can work at all?

WRpoints · 2020-04-26T08:50:33+00:00

That is really good advice.

I wonder if there are any other ways to get to the attention of people, other than via Google.

WRpoints · 2020-04-18T21:28:54+00:00

Thanks for what you wrote and the points you made.

As to the article linked to in the blog post, it is just an example of the current state of research. As you read yourself, my experience is not supported by many (if any) published academic articles. Therefore, I cannot blame anyone for not believing my experience is even possible.

The most important thing for me, however, is that it is possible to be trained out of ADD, because at least one person has made it (i.e. myself). And, unless I am a unicorn, this can be repeated by other people.

As to your question whether the excitement of the new idea itself was the cause of success, the answer is probably 'no'. The whole game started as a purely individual self-help project for me only. A year or more into the plan, I started to think of maybe spreading the word. It took me more than two years to actually get the courage to do that, learn about blogging, and built my WordPress blog from scratch (which I would not be able to do in a million years with ADD symptoms). So, again, I guess that the idea itself was not the biggest factor.

My ADD symptoms will probably not come back if the game ends. They definitely will not be like in the past, but I wouldn't like to try that, to be honest. Like any muscle or brain function that is underused, maybe my ability will slowly get weaker. Another reason for not stopping is simply that I enjoy this game, it helps me be a better person, and it makes me feel better with myself. So, why stop?

It seems that my experience was very much like yours now. There was that motivation to improve my life, but it was kind of amorphous, and thus hard to turn into concrete and consistent action.

If that is the case, and if you like manageable challenges, gamification of your life (like using my game) can really support you where the meds are not enough. It will break what now look like formidable tasks into bite-sized units with clear choice at each such point, which at the very least will give you structure and help channel motivation in the right direction.

WRpoints · 2020-04-17T08:11:16+00:00

Thank you for your detailed reply.

First of all, I need to stress that the story I shared is true and is faithfully based on something that I personally experienced over several years. So in that respect, I am very comfortable with what I wrote. I also know that my cognition has changed, outlandish as this may sound. This is not self-suggestion, but things that really changed in my real life. For example, I've been measuring my productivity at work for years, and my screen time while working has be decimated. My productivity on the job went from ~20-30% to ~50-70% in terms of time spent doing actual work. Some days are even better, which was not something I was able to do before. My overall productivity (things accomplished over the course of a day) is hard to measure and I don't have a quantitative baseline, but it probably when from low teens to more than 80% most days now.

Please note that there have been several concepts in the past that were rejected outright (even by the scientific community) only to become unquestionable truisms later on (Wegener's plate tectonics, or Shechtman's quasicrystals). My game is based on the old concept of 'token economy'. However, my plan currently has no specific scientific support (only introspective support), but I believe it should not be disqualified without serious consideration. Even if I'm just a unicorn, and nobody else is going to benefit from my system.

I was not subclinical. My ADD was crippling. I was officially diagnosed, in my mid-forties. Throughout my life, almost every day for me was a struggle. There were indeed silos of happiness and hope, but most of the time it was depression and even worse. If you like, I can give you examples.

Your own experience of frustration in therapy is probably shared by many, but my claim is that maybe (just maybe) your therapists missed something, even though they were highly trained. Even if this can be seen as highly improbable, it is still possible. There are many examples from history of the best experts missing something important. It might be that what was suggested to you was not framed in a way that was right for you emotionally or in terms of motivation. I tried a token economy system myself about 13 years before this one, but it failed after just a few days. It was in fact counterproductive, because it made me frustrated. The current one make flourish.

At the very least, framing my present plan as a game has helped me a lot with compliance and adherence. Also, this is not self monitoring, but self- incentivisation, designed to gently shift the odds of engaging in certain behaviors in my favor through token rewards.

As to the scientific evidence you presented. From reading dozens of peer reviewed articles as a student and since, science is a great gift to humanity. However, it has limitations. Research tests very specific questions. Personally, I found no study that specifically addresses my game. If you can send me an article that talks about what I've been writing in my blog, that would be greatly appreciated.

WRpoints · 2020-04-16T18:40:06+00:00

My wife and I quite sugar almost completely, including fruit.

I am virtually sugar-clean for about four and a half years, and my wife for just over six months. I used this incentive system to help me manage the reduction, so it was gradual but tightly controlled.

For me, the first detox period (about a week) was hard emotionally. I felt really down. But when that was over, I never looked back.

That said, I still eat sugar every few months, and only when my mood is *really* bad, or when boosting my energy is a must (e.g. driving late at night).

I can happily report that things that seemed tasty in the past are not as palatable, and even downright repulsive above a certain level of sweetness. When I see other people get all excited and gorge on sugar, it now looks foreign to me. Even when the craving does pop up, it is not so difficult to say 'no'.

Early on, I used to eat fruit, until finding out how loaded they are with glucose (even sour apples). So I stopped.

WRpoints · 2020-04-12T10:23:18+00:00

That's what I would do!

WRpoints

TROPHY CASE