The Best Apps to Gamify Your Productivity
I may be immature, but I’m about a thousand times more likely to engage in beneficial activities if they can be gamified. Even the simple pleasures of watching my stats improve or earning a digital badge for achieving a goal can motivate me to go to the gym, track my nutrition, or form new habits. Gamification can also be used for concentration and learning, and there are plenty of apps designed for this purpose. Here are some of the best.
Gamification apps aimed at focusing attention.
Focusing is incredibly difficult, especially in our hyperconnected age, when many of us can’t go five minutes without a text or watching a TikTok video while eating. Instead, harness the power of your device with these apps that make focusing a game.
Finch
Finch is my favorite habit-tracking app, and I use it every day (today’s episode: 311!). You’re responsible for the well-being of a happy little birdie and care for her by checking off completed tasks. Frankly, it’s a bit childish and sentimental; it comes with pre-set tasks like “get out of bed” and “take a stretch break.” I’ve included these alongside my planned daily activities to make it easier to achieve success, but the app is clearly designed for people with some executive function challenges.
Personally, I really like Finch because it’s so positive. Other apps might punish you for missing a day, but this one actually rewards you. It’s helpful to get a little positive reinforcement every day, even if it’s a little saccharine. By completing tasks, you send your bird on “adventures,” earn in-game currency to dress it up, and increase your friendship level with it. Interestingly, you’re also periodically asked to indicate how you’re feeling and what triggers that feeling, and the app tracks this. Over time, you can see a breakdown of your mood and the factors that influence it, which is helpful if you’re trying to maximize your productivity and make a few lifestyle changes to boost it.
You can read the full review of the Finch app here .
Habitica
One of the benchmark apps for gamification and productivity is Habitica , which is almost like a role-playing game. You set a goal you want to achieve, track when it happens, and watch as your in-game avatar regains (or loses) health. Your avatar can even team up with other players for games and challenges, so you all level up together. You earn gold coins that can be spent in-game or “traded” for something you want to do in real life, like watching a movie. The app is free, but you can make in-game purchases or subscribe to group plans that help coordinate team goals for $9 per month plus $3 per person.
A full review of the app can be read here .
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Another app that’s great for teamwork but also works well for personal productivity is Toggl. It’s a time tracker that, in addition to achievements, provides leaderboards for staying focused and completing tasks. If digital badges aren’t your thing, imagine the rush of excitement when you see your name at the top of the leaderboard. The app is free for individual use, but after a 14-day trial, teams pay $9 per user per month.
It looks like any digital calendar (and you can import calendars like Google Calendar to see all your daily activities), but there’s a “Play” button in the top right corner to click when you’re ready to track your time. You can name your time blocks (and you should familiarize yourself with the concepts of time blocking and timeboxing to use this effectively) to see exactly how many minutes you’re devoting to each task each day.
Beaminder
Beeminder is a great app because it integrates with a ton of other apps—Habitca, Toggl, Duolingo, Gmail, Fitbit, Strava, and many more—collecting your data to ensure you’re on track with your goals. If your goal is to focus on Slack or email, Beeminder can actually make sure you’re doing it, rather than relying on your honest self-reporting. Keep doing what you’re trying to do, and a red line will appear, gradually moving you closer to your goal. The catch? If you don’t stick to what you’re trying to focus on, your card will be charged $5. Otherwise, the app is free for up to three goals, but you can unlock unlimited goals (as well as the ability to defer payments and set spending limits) with premium plans, which cost between $8 and $50 per month, depending on the number of features you need.
If you’re worried about potential financial losses, don’t worry: this isn’t a tyrannical, scamming app. The developers make it clear that if any circumstances arise that prevent you from completing your goal on time, you can reply to the email you receive about the goal’s countdown, request a refund, and they will “always trust you” and reverse the payment.
Gamification applications in the learning process
If you need to turn studying into a game, there are specialized apps that are also great for this. The software mentioned above is also suitable for studying, so if Habitica is your favorite, feel free to use that. The apps listed below have unique features that may be useful for students.
FocusPomo
This is my favorite app for the Pomodoro technique . FocusPomo is easy to use and allows you to quickly access “focus sessions”—blocks of time set aside for studying or working. The app blocks other, more distracting apps and rewards you with a little tomato every time you complete a session. It may seem like a small thing, but simply collecting tiny pixelated tomatoes can become a bit addictive. The app syncs with your calendars and communication platforms, making it easy to start focus sessions when you have things to do, so earning those little pomodoros is surprisingly easy.
You can read the full FocusPomo review here .
Flora
If you need something a little calming yet motivating, try Flora —an app that simply wants to help you plant trees (and stay focused on work). It turns your productivity into a game, rewarding you with cool animations, like the other apps on this list. Here, you can grow “trees” in a virtual forest, but only as long as you don’t interrupt their growth by using your phone when you should be working. What’s more, you can bet on your ability to hold concentration sessions or buy a subscription, both of which directly fund tree planting in the real world. It’s not so much gamification as a real contribution that can make you feel good while studying.
You can read the full review of Flora here .
Training rabbit
Study Bunny is a game designed for students. It features a built-in timer and flashcard scoring system, to-do list slots, and space for 15 items. You’re assigned a virtual bunny who gets excited when you track your work and progress and gets sad when you pause or don’t open the app. The longer you work, the more coins you earn to buy items for your bunny. The app is a bit glitchy, I won’t lie, but it’s cute and stress-free, making it perfect if you’re looking for a fun way to stay motivated while studying.
You can read the full review of Study Bunny here .