
Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do?
From Squiggly Careers by The Squiggly Career
April 27, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
Helen and Sarah debate the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing work productivity and personal motivation.
Are you a "track everything" person or a "just do the thing" person? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the world of gamification — and have a genuinely fun debate about whether it actually works for your career. Helen comes in as a convert (she gamifies her sleep, her deep sleep, her exercise, her steps, and possibly her vegetables). Sarah comes in as a sceptic. What unfolds is an honest, practical exploration of when gamification helps, when it doesn't, and how to design a game that works for you — not one that makes you feel judged by an app. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What gamification actually is and why it taps into some very human motivations – Four games you could play at work right now — from your to-do list to your energy, relationships and learning – Why the question to ask of any game is: does this make me feel more capable, or just more compliant? – How teams can play together without it turning into an uncomfortable competition – The rules of the game: how to design your own two-week experiment 📚 Resources Mentioned The Big Think Tim Harford's newsletter Squiggly Careers Skills Sprints For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback…
People in this episode
Hosts: Helen, Sarah
Topics covered
- gamification
- career development
- work productivity
- team dynamics
- personal motivation
Keywords
- gamification
- work week
- career
- motivation
- teamwork
- productivity
- personal development
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Big Think, Squiggly Careers
Products: Skills Sprints
Books & works: Learn Like a Lobster
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