Gamification and spoonie pacing - can it work?
First, what is gamification?
Gamification is the idea of bringing game mechanics into your daily life - such as completing quests, levelling up a character, and so on.
Why should I care?
Because gamification can be particularly helpful when you want to build a habit. Let's be honest: one of the biggest reasons we stop building habits is because they are boring.
I don't know if this is even more true for all neurodivergent spoonies - but it certainly is true for me.
Feeling that way isn't a weakness - it's just a fact.
A lot of habits genuinely are boring, but necessary for our health and wellbeing.
We can try to habit stack (adding new habits to existing ones), but sometimes it's just not possible.
However - gamifying our habits can help beat the boredom - after all, we're on a quest (and not just trying to remember to change our bed every week).
But, can this work for spoonies? Especially those of us who need to pace - who have varying levels of energy and ability due to our health?
Because traditional gamification has one major flaw for us spoonies: the requirement of creating a streak.
For me, as a neurodivergent spoonie, I have always found that if I break a streak, my brain says I have failed. And then it throws a complete temper tantrum and refuses to try again - because I have "failed."
Life, and those distant streaks, became a lot harder after I developed CRPS. Not only did I have to contend with a brain that tried to avoid any idea of failure like the plague, I now live with ongoing chronic pain and brain fog to match.
Streaks, which were already a pipe dream, became almost impossible to create (and maintain). And if that is true for me, I am sure others may have hit the same wall.
So, I developed an alternative.
The Adventure Journal - you can check it out here .
The Adventure Journal takes gamification and applies it to physical care habits (like eating your veg or brushing your teeth), mental care habits (like getting outside or contacting a friend), and hobbies.
And it removes the idea of streaks completely.
Instead, the journal is designed to be filled in only when you are able. No punishment. No streak breaks.
Just slow and steady progress towards building those habits, as your body and health allow.
But - remember to work within your energy limits—this is about gentle progress, not pressure.
This journal actually started me on the path to creating the Wandering Emporium, and launching my business.
At this point, I've been working on the design and mechanics for over two years, and honestly (although I shouldn't), this is hands down my favourite journal design so far.
If you decide to check it out, I'd love to hear your feedback and any ideas for improvement!
It's taken a lot of work to get to this point (and I'm sure you'll spot some illustrations I've already shared here), and I hope you love it too!
Sending spoonie hugs