How to Gamify Your Routines to Make Any Habit Stick
Use Habit Loops & Rewards to Transform Your Life for the Better
Building new healthy habits and routines is no small feat — but there’s no better feeling than realizing a habit you once wanted to form has become second nature. Habits like working out on a regular basis or reading a certain number of pages each day don’t just form overnight, though, and it can take serious self-discipline in order to go from, say, the occasional gym-goer to someone who never misses a morning workout and swears working out is the best form of endorphin generation.
Fortunately, there are certain tricks that can help your mind while you’re trying to build a new habit. The key is making habit-building enjoyable and fun — and rewarding yourself for your habit streak by gamifying your routine is one of the easiest ways to slip a new habit into your day-to-day without giving it a second thought. Gamifying your routine — if you do it properly — should make it fun and simple to build a new habit, no matter what it might be.
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We spoke to a handful of healthcare professionals and business owners to understand exactly why — and how — gamifying a new habit is one of the best ways to work toward a healthier future without dropping off the habit before it gets ingrained. Here’s what you need to know if you’re looking for a cheat code to make a new habit stick for good.
Why Gamifying Works
Gamifying works by creating reward systems that act as a stand-in while you’re still building upon a new habit. Putting these more reward-driven practices into place will keep you motivated until the habit is more solidified in your mind and routine. Here’s how it works:
Habit Loops and Rewards
According to Jabe Brown, founder of Melbourne Functional Medicine, gamification relies on the classic habit cycle: trigger, routine, and reward. “By introducing game mechanics like points and rewards, you reinforce positive behaviors,” he explains. “For example, when someone exercises right after waking up, they earn points, creating a small, satisfying reward for their effort. When the behavior is sustained over multiple weeks, they get non-linear bonuses like extra points or a leaderboard ranking, fueling further motivation.”
One powerful motivator is streak continuation, says Brown. Apps like Duolingo use this well — miss a day, and the chain breaks. “In fitness, missing one workout can trigger a loss of points or penalties, while completing multiple weeks could give additional bonuses,” he explains. “This helps users stay on track and builds intrinsic motivation through a sense of progress.”
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards
Self-development are intrinsic rewards that users seek, says Brown, and gamifying these habits by incorporating levels, points, and badges creates a sense of accomplishment that drives people forward.
“A common misconception is that habits are formed in 21 days but research by Lally et al. shows that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days (66 on average),” he explains. “This is why it’s critical to gamify in a way that keeps users engaged long enough for the habit to truly form — adjusting difficulty and rewards as time progresses to maintain motivation.”
Brown mentioned that he has applied these principles in health coaching with great success, helping people not only build new habits but sustain them long-term.
How to Gamify Your Habits and Routines
If you’re actively trying to make a new healthy habit stick, here are a handful of expert-backed tricks for gamifying your habits and routines to make your day-to-day more fun while also working toward a future date where you won’t need external cues in order to stick with the habits you want to build:
Introduce Random Rewards for Unpredictability
“I created a ‘mystery box’ system in which I would randomly allocate a prize after finishing tasks,” says Gary Hemming, owner and finance director at ABC Finance. “As an example, I'd put rewards like a favorite snack or a spontaneous day off into a jar. The unpredictability was key — it made every task feel more exciting, like unlocking an unexpected prize in an arcade game.”
Hemming added that the element of surprise in this case was what made gamifying his habits work — it protected him from falling into routine boredom and made habit-building more enjoyable.
Use “Power-ups” on Tough Days
“When I felt drained or unmotivated, I introduced the concept of power-ups,” says Hemming. “On particularly challenging days, I'd allow myself an extra hour of sleep or an easier version of a task, like walking for 20 minutes instead of running.”
Create Levels to Your Game
Bayu Prihandito, certified psychology consultant and founder at Life Architekture suggests breaking down your big picture goals into smaller ‘levels’ or milestones. For example, if your goal is to exercise more, Prihandito suggests starting with a daily walk for a week. Then "level up" to jogging. “This will keep the process exciting and prevent it from becoming too overwhelming at the start,” he explains. “Think of it like completing quests in a game, each small step gives you a sense of achievement and momentum.”
Track Your Progress
Smart watches, for example, have activity rings that track your movement, exercise, and standing time throughout the day and closing these rings becomes a daily challenge to keep you motivated. “Treat each ring as a ‘quest’ to complete, turning a simple walk or standing break into an opportunity to ‘level up’ your health stats,” suggests Prihandito. “This practical, real-time feedback loop keeps you aware of your progress and encourages you to start again the next day.”
Join a Community
Gamification often works best when it comes with accountability. “Whether it’s competing with friends on leaderboards (like Duolingo does for learning a new language) or joining an online community (Reddit) where you share progress, it adds an extra layer of motivation,” says Prihandito. “Having a group of people working together toward the same goal can make the process feel more like a team effort where you don’t want to let them down.”
Create Measurable Wins
“I divided my everyday habits into smaller, more doable chores with clear point values,” says Roman Zrazhevskiy, founder & CEO at MIRA Safety. “For example, I gave points for doing morning stretches, drinking water, and reading. Achieving daily ‘high scores’ became an enjoyable challenge that pushed me to enhance my routine over time.”
Use Competition
“I turned fitness into a competition with my friends, setting weekly targets such as 10,000 steps per day,” says Zrazhevskiy, adding that the individual who took the most steps at the end of the week would receive a little prize, such as a paid lunch. “This friendly competition added motivation and made sticking to habits more fun.”
Include Visuals
“I utilize a chart or app to visually track my progress toward personal and corporate goals. This provides me a sense of accomplishment, similar to moving through levels in a game,” says Zrazhevskiy. “I used this when launching a new product, breaking down tasks and seeing the progress kept me motivated to push forward.”
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