So... what did I do?
Well, I took a weekend to think about what I needed and wanted from my next system.
- I wanted something that would measure my effort but also measure the effect of my effort.
- I wanted something that would do a lot of the measurement for me requiring minimal record-keeping effort on my part.
- I wanted something that would allow me to keep track of the long term tasks that I want to do over time.
- I wanted something that would encourage me to make steady progress through regular dedicated effort.
- I wanted something that would reward me for making good habits.
Pretty quickly I remembered using Habitica. Last time I used it rigorously it was called HabitRPG. There will be another blog post about it very soon for folks who want to explore it for themselves. Essentially it is a very easy and fun way to track daily tasks and longer running tasks while also watching them decay if I avoid them, leveraging my feelings of guilt.
Out of the box, Habitica is a fairly comprehensive system and a good one for folks just starting out using productivity systems in general. The only additional complication for me is that I need a way for it to interface with my accountability partner relationship. This was fairly easily solved by placing a thing layer of complexity over Habitica. Essentially I have a goal to earn a certain amount of gold coins in the system and that gives me a clear number that I can compare my performance against. It isn't as straightforward as other measurements but it does encourage me to fully invest in the Habitica system, learning how to optimize for coins. It also puts pressure on my daily habits because if I don't achieve them I lose health. If I lose all my health I also lose all my coins. Doing my daily habits also gives me streak bonuses for coins. This provides a nice carrot-and-stick flavor to the system.
Analysis:
What is this system good for?
This system is great for putting a bit of fun into being productive. It puts pressure on my daily commitments to progress while also incentivizing longer term achievements both through increased payoff for bigger items that take longer and by the color changing the longer it goes unachieved. Tracking is incredibly easy. There is almost no external math or record-keeping that I need to do. It does a good job of balancing achievement focus with effort focus.
What are the weaknesses of this system?
Coins and characters are fun but the flexibility in the system for how I get the coins I need might be easily manipulated. Over time I will discover the easiest way to meet my goals and that will unbalance the system. Additionally the consequences of character death might be extreme enough to be demotivating after a while.
How long do I estimate this system will last?
Hard to say. I think that I will make it last at least 3 months. September always has a fresh start feel about it. This is likely due to the fact that school always started in September and the beginning of September is also my birthday. So it is possible that I will be itching for a new system by then. It is also possible that I can make it last through December.
What do I think the next system will need to balance myself?
My next system will likely have discrete measurements that do not vary based on additional factors. I imagine that there will be fewer randomizing features.
How did I do with my estimation based on the last snapshot?
Pretty terribly. I thought that my old system would have lasted longer. The truth was that I had underestimated my new job and the impact of my sister's health on my stress levels. I had also underestimated the extent to which my old system was too heavy on the record-keeping.
