Playing the Game of Real Life
Steve Pavlina has a really interesting post about basic strategies to winning the "Ultimate Game" - Real Life. His comparisons to life as a massively multiplayer game are particularly amusing.

Can't say it's something I've not thought about myself a few times. If you set aside the notion that life is somehow supposed to be fair (it's a game with a high degree of variance), and put on your hardcore gamer hat, is it possible to game the rules of Real Life to achieve maximum success? Maybe. But Steve brings up a really good point: It's not just the achieving that is important... games are supposed to be about having fun, and life should be no exception. Though the comparison to MMOs is particularly apt... I know many, many people who seem to have no fun playing those games, either, but simply grind to the end game for some reason.

When I played the Sims, I thought nothing of them doing bench-presses for hours at a time to increase their strength score. It makes perfect sense that after eight straight hours of bench-presses, you'd get be well on your way to increasing your strength an extra notch. But whenever I try that at home I can't keep it going for more than a few minutes - and then with big breaks in-between. Maybe I should reduce the weight... ;)

I guess this is an interface problem with the game of life. It's noted in the expression, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." You set out to do something at the mental level. "I'm going to write that novel," you tell yourself. Or start that business. Or learn to play that musical instrument. Or write that indie computer game. But you sit down to do it, and you experience a breakdown in translating intent into action, and action into accomplishment. We're saddled with all kinds of limitations -- emotional state, fatigue, confusion on where to begin, etc.

So maybe life is more like an RPG? As a player, mentally, you are driving the play, but your poor avatar doesn't quite have the stats to wield that uber-sword or cast that spell yet. Or write that novel. Maybe there are some levels you need to gain in "focus," "concentration," "overcoming procrastination," and various task-specific skills.

Pavlina has an ability to focus and concentrate effort that I admire. I don't think he could rip out bench presses for eight hours straight, either, but he does have the kind of focus that if he made that a goal, I believe he'd get there. The guy set a goal to graduate college with a four-year degree in only three semesters, and pulled it off.

Stuff to think about...

Labels: productivity

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 3:08 PM (Permalink)