Video games tell you what to do using quests or missions. There’s no reason this can’t work in real life, too. Books tell us to lead purpose-driven lives with long-term and short-term goals. Seems like a perfect way to make your life an RPG.
Missions
A mission is an achievable goal within 3 months or less. A mission should be broken down into sub-tasks. In other words, it’s an actionable short-term goal.
1703 Start a blog #project
- Figure out the design
- Write a few articles
- Publishing
1704 Couch to Crossfit #fitness
- Find a gym
- Get a trial
- Enroll
- Month 1 - Basics
- Month 2 - Basics
- Month 3 - Basics
- Month 4 - Intermediate
- Month 5 - Intermediate
- Month 6 - Intermediate
1704 Learn Data Visualization #career
- Learn online
- Find local seminars/trainings
1706 Plan vacation #life
- Decide on destination
- Book tickets
- Book accomodations
- Bon voyage!
I prefix each mission with a projected date of completion (1702 is 2017, February), but this is totally up to you. I do this to get a good retrospective at the end of the year of all the missions I’ve completed.
- 1703 Start a blog
- 1704 Couch to Crossfit
- 1706 Vacation to Hong Kong
- 1707 Remodel kitchen
- 1707 Learn guitar
Keeping track
This system is so simple, you can use anything to keep track of it. As an Android user, I prefer using Google Keep. It lets me view all my missions at a glance, both ongoing and completed.
There are a variety of other ways to keep track of your missions, including using plain notebooks and pens. What’s important is you break your goals into manageable pieces, and give yourself a way to look back on your progress.