Going full time in bug bounty, I slowly stopped doing the things I love. Video games, Drumming, Skateboarding, Reading something that is not documentation
And on the rare days I did them, I felt guilty, Like I was stealing time from the work
I did not want to work less. I wanted the fun back, without the guilt
So I built a system for it.
Most gamification does not work
Let’s be honest, most gamification systems are useless
Points that mean nothing. Badges nobody cares about. Streaks you drop after a week.
So I went looking for the ones that actually work.
I looked at the Octalysis framework from Yu-kai Chou, and at the research on video game like lootboxes, why they hook people, what makes the anticipation feel so good
Then I asked myself what if I take the mechanics that genuinely work in games, and point them at my own life ?
That’s the whole idea. Not motivation. Meritocrac . I earn the fun I add back into my life, and I enjoy it more because I earned it.
My day, from the inside
Morning. I open my dashboard.
First thing I see: my objectives for the day, planned the evening before. Then I open my daily booster.
Cards flip. I get Valis (the main currency) or Magic Stones (the rare one). It takes twenty seconds and it gives Dopamine !
Which means every single morning, I connect to my dashboard. And connecting to my dashboard means I have started working
Then I start a focus session.
Before the timer runs, I have to define four things:
- the Definition of Done
- the time box
- the first 10% of the task
- my flow triggers
That setup is half the value on its own. You cannot drift when you already wrote down what “done” looks like
The longer I stay in the session, the more I earn
Along the way, quests.
Small tasks I want to keep in mind. I create them on the spot, I check them off, I get 15 Valis. Nothing huge, just enough to make me write them down instead of letting them float in my head.
The biggest payouts come from my three daily objectives, each with its own Definition of Done. Three, not ten. Clarity over volume.
End of the day The SHOP
I convert my Magic Stones into Valis, giving another “YES” I’ve done it or “Nice, I won something again.” I did not, I just changed one number into another that the magic of gamification
But the brain does not care, and that is exactly the point
The lootbox
At 7000 Valis, I can buy the Mega Lootbox. It spins like a CSGO case.
This is the part built directly on the lootbox research: variable reward, animation, anticipation.
Same mechanics that make people spend money on nothing
Except here, the prize is something good for me :
There is no bad outcome in the pool. Nothing like “scroll for one hour”. Every card is a permission ticket.
A thing I get to do.
Why it works for me
I open my booster every morning, so I start working every morning. -> level up consistency I get rewarded for showing up before I have done anything hard.
Focus sessions put time pressure on the work, so I move faster. -> level up efficiency
And when a reward finally lands in my inventory, I actually use it, because now it is not stolen time. It is paid for.
The one rule
A reward adds. It never gates.
Nothing in this system blocks the work or punishes me for a bad day. It only gives back the fun that full-time work quietly takes away.
Bug bounty is already fun. This just makes sure the rest of my life stays fun too
Thank you for reading
feel free to send me a message !
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