My gamification system
How do you track your progress?
What does "productivity" mean to you?
To answer these questions, you first need to define your direction and visualize your goal clearly, and this is where most people go wrong.
My goal is to reach 100 000 subscribers on YouTube by helping 100 000 creators. It's ambitious, but I know it's possible.
For a long time, I thought that the key was simply to "work hard" and "make a lot of videos". But the truth is far more complex.
Reaching any big goal takes time, patience, and a mix of the right qualities.
You need to have mental strength and the right mindset.
You need to be curious, and productive but also innovative.
You need systems to rely on.
You need self-responsibility to stay consistent.
You need to handle setbacks.
You need to challenge the norm.
You need to treat your body as your most important tool (because it is).
Let's face it, most people fail to reach their big goals.
They don't have what it takes, they don't want it bad enough, or underestimate what's required (or a mix of all three.)
For example, I wanted to become a professional hockey player for a long time but I didn't achieve that goal. I didn't stick to it long enough, prioritized other things over practicing, and didn't fully understand the effort required until I was 23 years old.
I then took private lessons to improve my skating, got my own key to the rink, and practiced with multiple teams. But it was too little, too late.
People I grew up with probably felt like I was "always practicing" and I believed that too. But it wasn't enough. And I didn't practice the right things.
I lacked the bigger picture beyond just "working hard", and I didn't have the context of being surrounded by highly ambitious hockey players. I was just a medium-sized fish in a small pond, thinking I'd become a big fish one day.
This is why tracking your progress (and tracking the right things) is so important. You need a broader context to measure your results and guidance from the right people.
Making progress isn't enough.
Making enough progress in the right areas is what truly matters.
And a holistic approach to goal-setting helps you define what "enough" looks like for you.
My realization
When I stopped playing ice hockey to pursue my other big goal (reaching 100 000 subscribers on YouTube and becoming a full-time creator) I knew I had to change.
If I didn't know enough about becoming a professional hockey player growing up, I definitely didn't know enough about becoming a full-time creator.
Shifting from "living like an athlete" to "living like a creator" turned out to be harder than I expected. In my mind, life was supposed to get easier.
I thought, now I won't have to eat healthy, I won't have to hit the gym, and I can create content from home. I also didn't need to rely on anyone else to make it happen.
Turns out, "becoming a YouTuber" wasn't that easy. (Surprise...)
It's expensive.
It requires focus.
It requires a plan.
It requires systems.
It requires creativity.
It requires confidence.
It requires knowledge.
And a ton of patience.
In the beginning, I experimented a lot and learned a lot.
But the more I learned about content creation, the more I started questioning myself:
Do I have what it takes?
Can I stick with this long enough to succeed?
What skills do I need to learn?
How do I need to live to make this dream realistic?
I began implementing new habits.
I created systems.
I started time-tracking.
I experimented with ways to motivate myself to eat healthier and work out more consistently (now that "playing hockey games" was no longer my driving motivator).
Eventually, this led to something I call my "weekly summary".
A list of numbers tracking my progress in different areas, from sleep and workouts to habits and tasks.
I had come to realize that "working more" was not the road to success.
Instead, I needed a vehicle 🚙 supported by 4 strong wheels:
Mind, body, relationships, and systems. Only then could I make real progress toward my destination.
My gamification system
After some trial and error with tracking my progress and falling for the "hustle culture" (where "more is more"), I finally established a sustainable tracking system that worked for me.
This system has evolved over the years (and will likely continue to do so), but here's how it works:
☑️ I give myself points for specific actions I take.
☑️ These points add up to a "total score" for the week.
☑️ I compare weekly scores to track my consistency and identify areas where my pace might be slipping.
Here's the point breakdown:
🧑💻 1h of work = 1 point
🛌 1h of sleep = 1 point
🏋️♂️ 1 workout = 1 point
📲 1 marketing task = 1 point
🚰 1 habit completed = 1 point
📝 1 task completed = 1 point
On average, I earn around 140-150 points per week.
If one area scores lower (like habits), another often balances it out (like tasks).
Previously I deducted 1 point for every hour of sleep, but that just resulted in me doing "fake work" (like staring at the computer without accomplishing much).
Now, my system gives me a clear picture of how different areas impact each other (and how my productivity increases when I sleep well and exercise regularly).
This system isn't perfect but it works for me.
Feel free to copy it and adapt it to suit your goals and needs!
The main goal with this system is to keep myself "on track" and avoid taking "shortcuts".
Small changes (like sleeping 30 minutes less per day or skipping 1 marketing task daily) can have a big impact on the total weekly score.
(Monitoring your sleep patterns and adjusting when necessary can also prevent illness and avoid losing valuable working hours.)
If you're interested in creating a similar system, I recommend that you first read these 2 books:
📙 "Atomic Habits" by James Clear
📘 "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker
🔗 Link to both books here:
https://www.david-lindgren.com/gear
These books have really influenced my life in a positive way and I wish I'd read them sooner. If you understand the role of sleep (for productivity, focus, learning, and health) and the power of daily habits, I truly believe that you can achieve anything!
Breaking goals into actionable daily steps and optimizing your focus while working on them is a simple yet powerful formula for long-term growth.
I hope you found this newsletter helpful!
PS. Last day of your exclusive discount on my latest digital product; YouTube Analytics Deep Dive. Use code CCP at checkout for 66% off!
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