We all aspire to be more productive: to have more energy, achieve more in a day, reach our objectives, and become the best versions of ourselves. However, we face obstacles that prevent us from realizing our full potential: watching TV, browsing YouTube, oversleeping, and avoiding the work we need to do.
If life is a game, we can employ gamification to motivate, encourage, or trick ourselves into becoming more productive.
Below are the 10 best productivity apps that leverage gamification to enhance your productivity, health, and financial habits.
Productivity App #10:Things 3 Website:
https://culturedcode.com/things/
Things 3 is a user-friendly task manager that simplifies planning your day, week, and month. The app cleverly integrates gamification elements, such as rewards for completing tasks and setting goals, to help users stay engaged and motivated.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Users can monitor their progress through vibrant charts and visualizations, inspiring them to finish tasks and reach milestones.
Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback: Things 3 lets users personalize their task organization, offering the flexibility to adapt the system to individual needs.
Productivity App #9: Any.do Website:
https://www.any.do/
Any.do is an all-in-one task management and organization app with a sleek design. The app employs gamification by awarding users for finishing tasks and maintaining streaks, fostering a sense of accomplishment and motivation.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Any.do motivates users to complete tasks through its “streak” feature, which rewards users for maintaining a consistent streak of finished tasks.
Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness: Users can share tasks and collaborate with others, encouraging teamwork and responsibility.
Productivity App #8: Toggl Website:
https://toggl.com/
Toggl is a time-tracking app that assists users in staying focused and managing their time more effectively. Its gamified features, including leaderboards and achievements, create a sense of competition and push users to enhance their time management skills.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Toggl enables users to see their progress over time, motivating them to improve their time management skills.
Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness: The app’s leaderboard feature encourages friendly competition among users, pushing them to increase their productivity.
Productivity App #7:
Do It Now Website: https://doitnow.app/
Do It Now is an RPG-inspired task manager that transforms your to-do list into a thrilling game. Users can design and customize their characters, level up, and earn rewards as they complete tasks.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Users gain experience points and level up as they finish tasks, providing a sense of progress and achievement.
Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback: Do It Now enables users to customize their characters and tasks, giving them the freedom to craft a personalized experience.
Productivity App #6: EpicWin Website:
http://www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/
EpicWin is a gamified to-do list app that turns your daily tasks into an engaging adventure. As you finish tasks, your character gains experience points, levels up, and discovers new loot.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Users are motivated to complete tasks and level up their characters, fostering a sense of progress and achievement.
Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback: The app’s entertaining narrative and design elements encourage users to engage with their tasks in a fun and imaginative way.
Productivity App #5: Level Up Life Website:
https://lvluplife.com/
Level Up Life is an app that utilizes gamification to help users improve various aspects of their lives. Users can earn points, level up, and unlock achievements as they complete real-life tasks and challenges.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Level Up Life offers a sense of progress and achievement through leveling up and unlocking new achievements.
Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness: Users can join a supportive community, share their progress, and view the accomplishments of others.
Productivity App #4: SuperBetter Website:
https://www.superbetter.com/
SuperBetter is a gamified app that assists users in building resilience, achieving goals, and improving their mental well-being. Users can tackle challenges called “quests” and earn “power-ups” that help them develop skills and habits to enhance their lives.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Users are motivated to complete quests and gain power-ups, fostering a sense of progress and achievement.
Core Drive 7: Unpredictability & Curiosity: SuperBetter offers a variety of quests, keeping users engaged and curious about what challenges they’ll face next.
Productivity App #3: Beeminder Website:
https://www.beeminder.com/
Beeminder is a unique productivity app that combines gamification with commitment devices. Users can set goals and track their progress while also committing to a monetary penalty if they fail to meet their goals.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Beeminder allows users to visualize their progress and set specific goals, creating a sense of achievement as they work towards them.
Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance: Users are motivated to stay on track to avoid the monetary penalty, adding an extra layer of accountability.
Productivity App #2: Forest Website:
Forest is a productivity app designed to help users stay focused and manage their time effectively. Users can plant virtual trees while they work, and the trees grow as they maintain focus. If they leave the app, the tree dies, creating a sense of accountability.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Users can grow a virtual forest as they stay focused, providing a visual representation of their progress.
Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance: The prospect of losing a tree encourages users to stay focused and avoid distractions.
Productivity App #1: Habitica Website:
https://habitica.com/
Habitica is a popular gamified productivity app that helps users build and maintain good habits. Users create and customize their own characters, complete tasks to earn experience points and rewards, and team up with friends for added accountability.
Why it works (according to the Octalysis Framework):
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment: Habitica encourages users to complete tasks and build habits by offering experience points, rewards, and character progression.
Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness: Users can join parties and guilds, participate in challenges, and collaborate with friends,
creating a sense of camaraderie and accountability.
These gamified productivity apps can help make your daily tasks and goals more engaging and enjoyable. Give them a try and see which one works best for you!
Did we miss any Gamified Productivity Apps that should be on our list?
Let us know if you have created a gamified productivity app or use one that you believe should be on our list, and we’ll review it. If it blows us out of the water, then it could make our top 10 list!
In conclusion, gamification has the power to transform the way we approach our daily tasks and goals. By making productivity fun and engaging, these apps can help us achieve more and become the best versions of ourselves. It’s essential to find the app that resonates with you and your specific needs, so don’t hesitate to explore different options and find the perfect fit. Happy productivity gaming!
