Game-based Goal Setting
/If you want to watch (and not read): [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMvB8oP99fY[/youtube]
If you want to read the cliffnotes (and not watch):
I've got an Excel spreadsheet that graphs my progress on my goals. A lot of the design is inspired by my experience playing video games.
With video games, rewards are clear. This is because success and failure are clear. Additionally, games give you consistent feedback to affirm or discourage behavior. One of the simplest forms of feedback is the visual feedback known as a "bar" or "meter" (like "health bar" or "experience meter").
Clear rewards makes life better : )
I applied this sort of reward system in my life by creating some goals and visualizing my progress with this excel sheet.
*Note -- it's only tested to be compatible with Microsoft Excel. I'm quite certain it doesn't work with the google docs spreadsheet reader. Some features work with Open Office, and some don't.
This spreadsheet tells me how far along on my goal I've come. It also tells me how far along my goal I should be according to a pace set by my start and end dates.
Download, share, innovate. But if you innovate, send me back a copy!
