Habitica and My Quest for an Organized Life

You may be a planner person and sit down to organize it every Sunday to check off what you accomplished and reset for the coming week. Or you may use a task manager or Google calendar to make sure you are always on top of your appointments and errands. Whatever works for you to feel calm and organized in your day-to-day life... is likely not what works for me.  

I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when I was a junior in undergrad and had just been procrastinating through the burn out for my whole educational career. The diagnosis was only the beginning of discovering that things could be easier and that I was not dumb for struggling in school. ADHD is very often overlooked in women and girls and this adulthood diagnosis provided so much clarity for me about my habits and coping mechanisms. I did really well for myself considering what I know now but it took a toll on my self-esteem and confidence to always feel behind my classmates and never understanding why I couldn’t just sit down and do something like everyone else seemed to be able to.  

What I thought were bad habits were just a reality of my brain chemistry which was very freeing to learn but also frustrating that there was no simple fix. I tried to give myself grace and tried to use planners to organize myself but nothing stuck and I would always find myself back in the same place: usually writing a paper the day it was due. When I started Graduate school, I told myself things would be different, but that's not how things work. I struggled with balancing work, school, the gym, and socializing with the ever-insurmountable hills of groceries, laundry, and everything else. Granted I sometimes overextend myself but why can’t I have it all too? 

I had resigned myself to the same cycle of burnout until I attended a workshop on how to gamify your studies and life at Dominican. The incredible part-time instruction librarian and expert at social media, Megan Hoppe was presenting on tools that make life organization and studies a little bit more fun. When they had finished explaining Habitica, I made an account right away. So did my supervisors, and the other part-time instruction librarian, and one of my fellow interns. And we became a party.  

image source: personal screenshot, Habitica.com
Habitica is an open-source project that is free with subscriber and group plan tiers. You create your character in your 8-bit image and level up by completing your habits, daily tasks, and to do lists. Everyone starts out as a warrior but at level 10 you choose your class and get special gear and buffs. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, try it! What really makes Habitica work for me is that you can join parties with your friends and complete quests together. The party feature adds accountability to what is otherwise a low stakes app. If you do not complete all your daily tasks, you and your party members will take damage from the boss you are fighting.  

image source: personal photo


The threat of damage to my party made me set realistic goals for myself. On my dailies I have things like, “brush hair”, “wash face”, “take pills”, and “walk Ducky.” These may seem overly simplistic, but I would get to work sometimes and realize I had not brushed my hair, or I would just decide that I didn’t have enough time to wash my face. Now I have a routine in the morning and when I get to work and open my Habitica on my computer I check all of those off. This was huge for me! My skin is so much happier! 

The to do lists are also a life saver. Every day I make a checklist of what I need to do that day and, crucially, as I do things, I add those to the list too. This helps me keep track of everything I have done and ensures that I do not forget to do something. If someone asks me to do something, I immediately add it to my Habitica. I also use the to do lists to make a list of the homework I need to do for the week and create lists just for big assignments to break them down into smaller tasks to try to curb procrastination.  

Image source: personal photo

Habitica has helped me in so many aspects of my life. It has had a huge impact on my school and work life but also my home life. I recommend this app to anyone who has struggled with finding ways to orient their days and organize their tasks. It is such a simple concept, but it works for me and is fun! And I didn’t even mention the pets! If you struggle to keep up a planner and you are on your phone anyway, maybe try Habitica, it may surprise you. 

Please enjoy this short video of my dog. Apologies for the format I filmed it on my iPhone.



Video Source: personal video

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2024 at 11:38 AM

    Hi Emma,
    I really connected with your journey of navigating organization with ADHD, especially your candidness about the struggle to find a system that works for you. I love how you’ve embraced Habitica as a way to gamify tasks—it’s such a clever way to stay on track, and the party accountability feature sounds like a game-changer! I'm curious, do you ever find yourself adjusting how you use Habitica as your workload fluctuates, or have you developed a consistent routine?
    Keep up the great work!
    H. Yancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emma BSeptember 10, 2024 at 2:23 PM

      Hi H. Yancy, thank you for your comment! Learning how to make Habitica work for me was definitely a process. I have changed how I use it over time and am pretty happy with my current set up. What I like about Habitica is that I have my daily tasks that are usually personal things, only one or two are to do with work or school. The To Do lists are most flexible for changing workload so that's how I use those.
      During school breaks I will sometimes go a day or two without using the app and my normal routine still stays in tact or is readily picked up again. But I enjoy using it the app and the community I use it with so I generally keep up with it even if I am doing less in a day.
      Does that answer your question?

      Delete

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