Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do?

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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