Hey Designer!

For years, we've been told that the secret to motivation is rewarding ourselves for doing hard things.

But Old-School Gamification Got It Wrong

The classic example?

On paper, this sounds great. Do something hard, and get something fun in return.

But in reality? This method completely undermines your goals.

By treating the reward as an escape from the work,
you’re reinforcing the idea that the work is something to suffer through.

You're just teaching yourself to get through it as quickly as possible so you can reach the "real fun."

And that’s exactly why this old-school version of life gamification fails.

In LGD, we don’t escape the challenge—we Design it to be fulfilling.

Instead of treating hard tasks like a prison sentence,

we use game psychology to make them more enjoyable.

Here’s how:

Instead of rewarding yourself after the task,

reward yourself inside the task.

Let’s say you hate running.

If you tell yourself, "If I run, I can eat ice cream afterward,"

all you’ve done is reinforce that running is the suffering required to reach the fun part.

But what if you made running itself more enjoyable?

Rewarding yourself based on the 5 senses is a great way to start

Sight, Taste, Touch, Smell, Hearing:

Exclusive Music Playlist → Create a fire playlist of your favorite songs, but only allow yourself to listen to it while running. Now, running becomes an event you look forward to because it’s paired with something you already love.
Scenic Routes & Exploration → Instead of running the same boring path, turn it into an adventure. Try new routes, explore different neighborhoods, or run through a beautiful park. Your brain craves novelty.
Progress Visualization → Use a tracking app that shows your improvements over time. Watching your numbers climb and seeing tangible proof of your effort triggers the brain’s reward system naturally.
Audio Entertainment Lock → Only allow yourself to listen to that amazing podcast, audiobook, or YouTube series while running. Now, the run itself becomes the key to unlocking content you love.
Competitive Edge → Apps like Strava let you compare your runs with others, creating a sense of challenge and achievement beyond just “getting it done.”

The biggest shift is this: Instead of running away from the goal, make the goal more fulfilling.

Game Design was never about tricking yourself into doing hard things
It’s about transforming them into something engaging.

When you start designing your life this way, discipline stops feeling like suffering.

Instead of bribing yourself to do your most challenging goals, you’ll actually want to show up.

So, what’s the one goal you’ve been struggling with?

Think about how you can embed rewards into the process instead of treating them like an escape.

Reply and let me know—I’d love to help you design it!

Keep Playing, Keep Designing,

Love from Michael💖

0 comments

Stop charging bosses at level 1.