A Proven Method to Increase Your Productivity: Choose Your Character
Last month, I read Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal. One idea really caught my attention: picking your own productivity character.
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| Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash |
Why?
What is the biggest productivity booster that exists?
In my opinion, it is if you are having fun.
If you have fun time flies by and you get a lot of things done and enjoy yourself doing so.
However, this is easier said than done. In our work life, we have to do things once in a while that are not fun like responding to overdue E-mails, book bills etc. Even the most awesome jobs out there have some elements that aren’t particularly joyful.
This is why you should have some methods at your disposal how to make tasks more fun.
The method
The method is about gamification. Instead of just doing something, make a game out of it. In particular: step into a character and try to see your task from your character’s point of view - just as you would in a video game.
Just as in a video game, there are different character types, Ali Abdaal proposes 8 different types:
- The Collector likes gathering and organizing.
- The Competitor likes games and sports.
- The Explorer likes to discover new places.
- The Creator wants to make things.
- The Storyteller likes to entertain others with their imagination.
- The Joker wants to make people laugh.
- The Director finds joy in planning, organizing, and leading others.
- The Kinesthete likes to do physical activities.
- I’d add a 9th character: a mix of the above, or your custom character.
When you have to tackle a boring task, pick a character and imagine doing the task from their perspective.
Which character would make your tasks more fun?