Fast Facts

To gamify something involves adding elements of a game to a task in order to encourage its completion. This method can be used for weekly tasks or to-do lists.
Introducing elements like competitive scoring, timed sprints, or rewards to tasks on a to-do list can help motivate you or your family to complete otherwise unappealing chores.
Mental health experts believe that journaling can help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety.
There are several apps available for free that are designed to help you and your family complete your chores each week.

We’ve all got tasks that we’re putting off–chores to complete, appointments to make, errands to run, or items to repair. If your to-do list has gotten so long that even the thought of it paralyzes you, then it might be about time to try gamifying your chore list.

To gamify something involves adding elements of a game to a task in order to encourage its completion. These game-like attributes can include point scoring, adding an element of chance, or including a reward system.

Different Ways to Gamify Your To-Do List

Gamifying your to-do list can help motivate not only yourself to be more productive, but also help get your family, partners, roommates, or children involved in communal tasks as well. By turning chores into a competition or a game of chance, there is more incentive to actually complete a list item, even without a physical reward.

Roll the dice

From creator Aubrey Rose on TikTok, this technique only requires three items–a pen, a piece of paper, and either a 12- or a 6-sided die. The original game, played with a D20 or a 12-sided die, involved writing down 12 tasks from your to-do list on a sheet of paper, numbered 1-12. To start, you roll the die and complete the corresponding task on your list, crossing it off when you are done and again rolling the die. This game is played until all tasks are complete.

This is a good way of forcing yourself to complete chores that you’ve been putting off or procrastinating on. If you do not have a D20, or do not think you will have time to complete 12 items, a 6-sided die works just as well. Try including a few rewards in the list for more motivation.

Timed sprints

Large tasks that require prolonged focus can oftentimes seem impossible, especially with the number of distractions usually close at hand. These overwhelming items do not need to be tackled in one unbroken stretch of time. Instead, use a timer to plan out 25 minute sprints where you focus entirely on the task at hand. Every 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break, then start another sprint. After completing 4 sprints, take a longer 30 minute break. This practice of breaking up larger chores into smaller ones is called the Pomodoro Technique.

Spin the wheel

Another idea as seen on TikTok is to create a chore wheel online to virtually spin to encourage chore completion. By creating a colorful and personalized spin-the-wheel, you can successfully turn your chore list into a game for you and your family. There are several online and app options for creating a digital chore wheel, or for bonus fun (especially for children), you can purchase a physical chore wheel to make cleaning day more exciting.

Bullet journal

Mental health experts believe journaling can help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety. For those that favor a written to-do list to track their progress, a bullet journal is a way to create a calendar, list chores and goals, reflect on events, and express emotions. Your bullet journal can be as complicated, artistic, or minimalistic as you want it to be, and can include doodles, color coding, or other scrapbooking elements.

Sticker chart

This is a reward system often employed in classrooms, but it can be used in the home as well to motivate children (or adults) to complete their chore lists. Create an eye-catching chart to hang on the wall or the fridge, add a sticker next to each person’s name when they complete a chore, and help the family visualize who is doing what, and what more needs to be done. For the individual, this method may also work for a written schedule, hanging calendar, or journal. Adding a sticker to each day you perform a specific daily task can help build healthy habits by incentivizing you at the beginning.

(Free) Apps to Organize and Encourage Chores

Chronically on your phone? A digital to-do list may be more your style. There are a plethora of chore apps to choose from, both free and for a price. Listed below are the free apps built to track and reward task completion.

Habitica

If you are a fan of video games, Habitica is the task organization app for you. Designed as a role-playing game, Habitica encourages you to complete your short and long term goals in exchange for digital prizes that you can use to level up your avatar and equip them with pets, armor, and weapons. To collect points, tasks are sorted into Habits, Dailies, and To-Dos that you can check off as you complete them.

Nipto

To encourage more than one person–family, partners, or roommates–to participate in regular chores, Nipto turns cleaning into a competition. Customize your chore list, track achievements and monitor participation while keeping an eye on the leaderboard to see who wins the week.

S’moresUp

Created especially for parents, the S’moresUp app assists with tracking chores, scheduling, and connecting with other parents in the community. A reward system is at the heart of this app, and allows children to earn s’mores for each chore or good behavior. It is up to the parents how the s’mores will translate into real-world rewards, and how many s’mores children will need to earn in order to earn a prize.

Tody

To break down tasks room by room, the Tody app has you assign tasks to each room, along with a frequency in which they are done. You compete against “Dusty” the dustball as you stay on top of your regular chores, while the app breaks everything down into simple tasks that you can space out over the course of the week to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

HabitHub

Forget one-off chores, HabitHub’s goal is to help you build healthy habits that you will stick to by changing your mindset. By tracking both your habits and your motivation, you build a “chain” of successful days, which encourages you to continue your healthy habits or risk breaking your streak.

Whether it’s studying or meal planning for the week, there are ways to make the mundane fun, for you and your family members. So choose your game, and start playing.

For more caregiving assistance and planning, you can find live expert help by reaching out to a Care Guide.