1: Today, most games keep score automatically.

“At the bowling alley, computers tally points. Online Scrabble calculates your word scores for you. Video games track your experience points and level you up without any effort on your part,” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

But when you’re working toward big goals, keeping score yourself can really help you succeed.

For the past two … continue reading

1: Meg was in a bad place.

“I hated my job, and I saw little hope of anything in the future,” she recalls in Jane McGonigal‘s book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

At twenty-six, Meg was living in Boston and working for a large company that didn’t share her values.

“I took the chance to sign up for SuperBetter,” she recalls.

A key element of the SuperBetter … continue reading

1: When it comes to setting big goals, what game designer Jane McGonigal calls “Epic Wins,” why are physical or athletic triumphs so motivating?

“If you search the SuperBetter database for all the epic wins from more than 400,000 players,” Jane writes in her book SuperBetter, four of the ten most commonly appearing verbs are walk, run, exercise, and dance. (Other top epic win verbs include finish, find, and … continue reading

1: How do you react when something bad happens in your life?

“Your knee-jerk reaction to bad events can be to only see, and to dwell on, the negative, giving you a biased view that can affect your mood and paralyze you from acting,” Tynan writes in his book Superhuman by Habit.

When you think about positive, healthy habits, chances are your brain immediately focuses on work and productivity … continue reading

1: After thirty-five years of research on goal-setting, it all comes down to this:

Harder goals inspire greater effort.

There is, however, a caveat,  Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter. “As long as the goal is not absolutely and obviously beyond a person’s control or ability.”

That’s the rub. Harder goals are better. As long as they aren’t too hard.

Here’s another key point about goal-setting: “Go only … continue reading

1: Laura was pregnant when she learned about SuperBetter.

“I’m getting SuperBetter because my second baby is due any day now,” Laura says in Jane McGonigal‘s book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

“As all parents know, the first three months or so are pretty rough,” she remembers. “I figured anything that encouraged me to take care of myself would be a good thing.”

The SuperBetter framework asks … continue reading

1: Say you’re faced with a difficult challenge.

Or a big opportunity.

What if you approached it like a game?

This is the main idea behind Jane McGonigal’s SuperBetter framework, described in her book. It uses allies, quests, power-ups, bad guys, and epic wins to help you become more resilient and make real progress.

Yesterday, we looked at how radio producer Alex Goldman used SuperBetter to recover after … continue reading

1: “There’s nothing in the world I hate more than asking for help,” Alex Goldman said.

Alex is a public radio producer in New York City who loves cycling.

“In the summer of 2011, he suffered a terrible accident when he was knocked off his bike and run over by a car,” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

“I had multiple fractures in … continue reading

1: Last week, we explored how “triggers” can help us build new habits.

What is one of the best triggers to build new habits? Your existing habits.

In fact, when done right, you can create a habit chain, Tynan writes in Superhuman by Habit: A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time.

“A very good practice,” he notes, “is to … continue reading

1: Do you believe that all meaningful problems are deeply rooted and difficult to change?

David Yeager, a mindset researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, shares a story that reveals how deep people’s skepticism can run about the power of short interventions to improve people’s lives.

This week we’re examining multiple studies that show your mindset, or how you think about something, can have a profound impact … continue reading