Gamify Your Life to Trick Your Brain

How to have more fun while getting sh*t done

Recently, I was hired to help develop a game show.
Real games. Real stakes. Real potential for injuries.

And here’s something I’ve noticed:
When you start thinking like a game designer, you realize —
anything can be fun, if you frame it right.

Tell your kid, “Go brush your teeth”?
Cue the groans and foot-dragging.
But say, “I bet you can’t finish in two minutes”?
Now it’s a challenge.

Sitting on hold with your internet provider?
Soul-crushing.
But trying to finish a Moscow Mule before they transfer you for the third time?
Suddenly, I’m vibing to that hold music.

The Joy of Inventing Games

When I was in high school, my younger brother and I invented a game called GILARIEL — a mashup of our names that sounds like a rejected Game of Thrones character.

It was played on a pool table. And it was pure chaos.

Here’s how it worked:

• We each took a side of the table.

• One of us with stripes, one with solids.

• The mission: fire your balls into the two far corner pockets before the other guy does.

Every round started with hands behind our backs:
“Uno… dos… tres… GILARIEL!”
Then all hell broke loose.

Did we get hurt? Oh yeah.
Did we get yelled at for playing this? Many times.
Did we absolutely fucking love this game? Without question.

The Science-y Part

Games trick your brain into caring.

Research from Stanford and MIT shows that when you add clear goals, small rewards, and visible progress — even to the most boring tasks — motivation spikes. Focus sharpens. Satisfaction goes up.

Why? Because your brain loves structure.
It loves knowing there’s something to win, something to beat, something to finish.
And when it gets that? Dopamine pops like confetti.

It’s not the task. It’s the format.
A simple countdown clock can make tossing clothes into the hamper feel like Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and turn taking out the trash into The Amazing Race.

Photo by Kaitlyn Pixley on Unsplash

HomePlay

Here’s your challenge:
Take one thing from your day — and turn it into a game.

Work life. Home life. Love life.
All fair game.

Need inspiration? Try one of these:

• Cleanup Sprint: Blast some EDM. Race to finish the room before the DJ gets to the drop.

• Dishwasher Tetris: Treat it like a puzzle. How many plates, bowls, and mystery lids can you fit without triggering a passive-aggressive re-stack?

• Compliment Ninja: Slip as many compliments to your spouse as you can without them catching on.

• School Pick-Up Challenge: Can you arrive exactly as your kid steps off the bus or walks out the door?

• Parking Lot Precision: See if you can back into a spot at Trader Joe’s in one shot without causing a traffic jam. Bonus points if no one gives you side-eye.

Life’s better when you gamify it.

And if you dare to play GILARIEL… don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Cheers to your creativity,
Gil

P.S. Wanna connect about a TV project? Looking for creative consulting?
Hit me up at gil@gilrief.com or visit my site.