Work Productivity as a Game

February 22, 2013 7:18 AM

Is there software that allows you to treat work productivity like a game?

I'm thinking along the lines of keeping track of email, phone calls, to-do items completed, etc. I'm not thinking of anything really specific, but something that is stats or RPG-like would be pretty cool.

posted by SpacemanStix to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Issue trackers have a count of open issues. But I've found that treating that as a golf score is an anti-pattern - I focus on getting the number down by dealing with the fast tickets, not the high priority tickets. (Perverse incentive).
posted by Leon at 7:33 AM on February 22, 2013

EpicWin sort of does that, it's worth a look.

But all you do is collect stuff - and then you start collecting the same prizes - and you never get to do anything with the prizes you collect.

I think a game of this sort where you earn gold for washing the dishes / making phone calls and THEN can use that gold to build a fortress or buy a sword or fight the zombie hordes ... would be so awesome.

I guess what I'm saying is that I will be watching this question with great interest to see if this software exists somewhere or if someone smarter than me will take the bait and create it so I can buy it and love it forever.
posted by bunderful at 7:34 AM on February 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Well, when I find myself in a slacking-rut I try to get back to the Pomodoro Technique - there are timer apps out there. I find it satisfying to rack up completed pomodori (I'm sorry, but I just can't add an s to pluralize an Italian word). It's not quite a game, but it can sometimes hit the same buttons for me.
posted by hungrybruno at 7:39 AM on February 22, 2013 [2 favorites]

It's not so much a game, but it does have great stats: Kanbanflow.com is a site that lets you put in tasks, give yourself deadlines, move them from one column to the next, color-code them, etc. It is based on the Pomodoro Technique, with a 25 minute timer built in. Each time you finish a Pomodoro, it gives you a point. You can even invite other people to use it and assign them responsibilities. In this way you can track individual productivity and hold them accountable (it'll email you if you miss a deadline.)

If you get really into it, it'll tell you productivity patterns and what not, but I just like looking at all those little pomodori adding up over the day.
posted by absquatulate at 7:45 AM on February 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

HabitRPG does this! However, I should warn that it can be kind of buggy (though I think they've got the bugs straightened out now).
posted by littlegreen at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2013 [3 favorites]

Chorewars (web-based)
Epicwin (Apple)
HabitJudo (by our own Mefite leotrotsky!) (spreadsheet based, also an Android app, maybe Apple - haven't looked)
Taskhammer (Android app)
posted by lollusc at 4:16 PM on February 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Good suggestions!
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:52 PM on February 24, 2013

Don't break the chain.
posted by Leontine at 11:59 AM on February 25, 2013