Well, maybe not literally, but I started to really focus on getting things done after a great presentation by Nicole Spracale, a management consultant and executive coach I met during my involvement at the Tempe Chamber. The presentation was about time management and productivity and, at the time, I was struggling to get everything done because so much was happening at once. After the presentation, I started looking for a to-do list manager that worked for me.

I found Habitica. Really, I rediscovered it after forgetting about an article regarding their Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a mobile app. Which they did and it's called HabitRPG, available for both iOS and Android.

I likely said something in the title that sounded foreign or you passed off as geek speak: "gamifying". I'm talking about gamification (which can be a bit geeky) and a trend that engages millenials and satisfies the intrinsic need for gratification. I'm no Millenial (missed that boat by about 15 years), but I am a gamer.. Well, I am when I have the time and I may yet have the opportunity to enjoy the hobby again.

I'm getting a bit off track, though. Habitica is a to-do list manager. I've tried various different platforms, including Asana and the task list option in my CRM, Insightly. I just have a hard time sticking with it. I do well and I've set up some automatic tasks that help, but it's still a boring chore to keep my task list going. Nicole brought up the concept of setting a to-do list every day with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). While she still prefers the physical journal book, I'm fine with something digital (it's one less thing for me to carry around).

I decided to give the gamified approach a shot. I've been at it for just about two weeks now and the change in my productivity is immense. The idea of creating my to-do list (which I have as a "Daily") is no longer a chore, but something to look forward to while I sip on my coffee first thing. I'm still trying to get my time down to only 10-15 minutes, but the fact is that I'm doing it.

The business side is satisfied because I'm finishing things that I need to get done. The gamer in me is happy because when I check off the task to write this blog, I'm going to get experience points and gold pieces. It's something I never considered until I really started to look. After mentioning to a few people, I've had inquiries on how it might help them with their kids later doing chores. There's plenty of ways this can be applied, but it might not be right for you. The key to being productive is finding something that works for you.