2 Weeks of Ups and Downs with HabitRPG

Two weeks ago something awesome happened. Florian Dellé—of memory-sports.com, coaching, and commentating fame—started a Facebook-based memory training group. I’ve mentioned that having a group chat among a few memory athletes has helped my motivation. So I had high hopes for the new group, which has a 3-part platform:

  1. Weekly Memocamp national standard competitions
  2. A Facebook page for members to discuss improvements, strategies, etc.
  3. A HabitRPG party

The first two have been great, but I’ll use this post to focus on that last one.

HabitRPG is a website that essentially turns your to-do list into a role-playing game. By completing tasks, you collect gold which you can use to “buy” custom rewards (one hour of TV, a movie on Friday, etc.) as well as equipment for your character (armor, weapons, etc.). The memory training “party” also works together to complete weekly quests. If I don’t finish my tasks, everyone else suffers. I’ve only been on HabitRPG for two weeks, so this is definitely not a complete review. Here are my immediate impressions:


  1. Instant rewards: The game works well for someone like me who needs immediate compensation for putting in work. If I’m working on material for a test weeks away, I’m often thinking: “Is this even worth it? I could doing other, funner things right now.”
  2. Accountability: I have to hold myself accountable for fun stuff: YouTube, TV, etc., especially since it affects other party members. It keeps me honest, so I don’t blow through a dozen YouTube videos without realizing it.
  3. Habit-building: I can keep track of habits I want to build (for example, waking up on time, drinking enough water, etc.) that weren’t on my old to-do list.
  4. Character building: Swords. Dragons. Need I say more?


  1. The satisfaction can wear off: After two solid weeks, leveling up somehow feels less awesome. If you focus on custom rewards though, that doesn’t matter much.

Obviously, the game’s only as good as the person playing it. I need to hold myself to it, but that’s always the case if I want to be productive. Overall, I really recommend it. And it’s great to be connecting with more people in the memory sports community!

If you’re interested in joining the training group, contact Florian Dellé.