As most people continue to work at home as a part of the attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19, maintaining their usual productivity levels in what for many is a brand-new environment is a challenge.
One thing that some experts say might help is to make use of productivity apps and tools that are a little more lighthearted and that inject a little fun into the day. Perhaps surprisingly there are a number of great ones - not all of which are strictly for work use - to choose from. Here is a look at some of the best.
Habitica
Habitica is one of the most popular RPG-style apps that help you improve your skills, focusing, and attitude. When you feel bored with your routine tasks, learning, or building up healthy habits, turn them into “monsters” and fight them one by one. When you complete a task, you progress in the game, and when you fail to get something done, you lose health and backslide.
You can cooperate with other players, get gear to build up your avatar, set up the system of rewards, and compete with others. What’s more, the app has extensions and add-ons to track your progress and use your data more efficiently.
SuperBetter
SuperBetter has helped many people to build up new habits, develop their skills and talents, and successfully pursue long-term goals. The author claims that the app improves mood and overall wellness, as it helps reduce stress caused by too many daily to-dos, oppressing circumstances, or a hard-to-tackle challenge.
The idea is using psychological strength we display when playing games for tackling real-life challenges. The main factor that gives us strength is belief in our ability to succeed, and the app increases it. This belief helps cope with personal challenges, develop good habits, learn new skills, and improve ourselves.
Fitocracy
A fitness app that helps improve your workout progress. In its free version, it offers various workouts for any goals and experience levels, logging progress, support, motivation, and daily articles on the subject. The paid version includes personal coach’s advice on nutrition (with a personal nutrition plan), workouts made specifically for you, and guidance on your way to your goals.
ChoreWars
What on Earth can be more boring than household chores, like washing dishes, making bed, and cleaning the house? But with entire households holed up at home they are more important than ever. ChoreWars turns this process into a game with monsters, achievements, rewards, and competition – everything you need to start doing chores you kept putting off for ages.
The users report that the game is especially efficient with children that are always reluctant to do what their parents ask. But, it can be helpful not only for big families, lazy roommates and coworkers: people who suffer from mental illnesses say that the app helps them remember what simple tasks need to get done.
Todoist Karma
Karma is a fun productivity game app developed by Todoist, the author of the popular to-do list tool. It does not turn anything into monsters or bosses: its method is accumulating Karma by being productive and accomplishing more tasks.
Set up your daily number of tasks you want to accomplish, and earn Karma by achieving your goals. When you start using the app, the Beginner level is assigned to you. Unlock new levels by being productive and finally become the Enlightened! And don’t forget to share your achievements on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ directly from the app.
EpicWin
The developer’s description of this tool sounds quite simple: a to-do list with XP. But in fact, it adds adventure and fun to your life, making it easier to remember daily chores and get more things done. You can customize your profile as you want (and choose a super fun name, of course), set up a to-do list, and start playing… or working.
For each of the tasks you accomplished, you receive points for intellect, stamina, spirit, and other characteristics. As the authors emphasize, finishing a long report is an epic feat of stamina, so it’s fair that you get stamina points for that.
With more points, you move forward on the quest map, uncover new locations, and find rare items (because who doesn’t want a Helm of Questionable Appeal to put on the enemy’s head?). Users say that it is a great encouragement that helps increase productivity in work and studies from the first day of use.
Zombies, Run!
Most of us start doing sports to improve health or lose weight, and we all know the problem: the result promises to be great, but the process itself is disappointingly boring. To stay productive when working out and achieve your goals, try a gamified app like this. Instead of just walking, running or working out in the living room, accomplish an important mission in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
The app contains over 200 missions, and you can create your own too, so you’ll never run out of motivation. Your results are stored online, so you can track your progress and share your results.