Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do?

Squiggly Careers

AmazingIf

Business, Management, Careers

4.9 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Are you a "track everything" person or a "just do the thing" person? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the world of gamification — and have a genuinely fun debate about whether it actually works for your career. Helen comes in as a convert (she gamifies her sleep, her deep sleep, her exercise, her steps, and possibly her vegetables). Sarah comes in as a sceptic. What unfolds is an honest, practical exploration of when gamification helps, when it doesn't, and how to design a game that works for you — not one that makes you feel judged by an app. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What gamification actually is and why it taps into some very human motivations – Four games you could play at work right now — from your to-do list to your energy, relationships and learning – Why the question to ask of any game is: does this make me feel more capable, or just more compliant? – How teams can play together without it turning into an uncomfortable competition – The rules of the game: how to design your own two-week experiment 📚 Resources Mentioned The Big Think Tim Harford's newsletter Squiggly Careers Skills Sprints For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Kathleen and this is my NHS story. Having a persistent cough is quite socially embarrassing.
0:07.5	So I went to see a respiratory nurse who sent me off for an x-ray at my local CDC and they were offering Sunday appointments and evening appointments which was great.
0:17.0	The government is opening new community diagnostic centres, with many already available
0:20.8	12 hours a day, seven days a week, so the NHS can be there for all of us when we need it.
0:25.2	Find your closest one at gov.uk slash NHS fit for the future, available England-wide.
0:31.0	My name is Beverley, and this is my NHS story. I had to make regular journeys to my local CDC of blood tests because I had lymphoma.
0:42.1	I think it really helps to know that you've got somewhere local. It was really a godsend.
0:47.1	The government is opening new community diagnostic centres with many already available 12 hours a day,
0:51.9	seven days a week, so the NHS can be there for all of us when we need it.
0:55.2	Find your closest one at gov.uk slash NHS Fit for the Future.
0:58.9	Available Englandwide.
1:00.9	My name is Karen and this is my NHS story.
1:04.5	You don't realise how blind you are until you have cataract surgery.
1:08.7	I was referred to a surgical hub and they booked us in for an operation.
1:13.4	It was about three weeks before I was there.
1:16.1	It's very, very quick.
1:17.9	The government is opening more surgical hubs
1:19.8	with more than 120 already operating across England
1:22.5	so the NHS can be there for all of us when we need it.
1:25.7	Find your closest one at gov.uk slashslash-NHS fit for the future.
1:30.2	Because we're borrowing brilliance from the world of gamification.
1:35.3	I think my life is very gamified and I haven't really thought about it.
	...

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