First of all, let me tell you a little secret about myself.

About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with clinical depression. That was turning point in my life that impacted a lot of stuff. I mean, a lot. Don't worry, I'm pretty much fine now. Didn't even take medication. Thanks for asking. (And btw, this article will get way better, I promise!).

Anyway, those times were difficult for me, so one day, procrastination took over. And it's so hard to break free, believe me, most of the times it seems nearly impossible when you can't even stand up from the bed.

Years went by and lessons were learnt until I've developed some techniques that helped me concentrate on duties that had to be taken care of one way or another. This is a self-motivation tactic that has many benefits (which I will discuss later) and is kind of fun. AND if you are by chance a gamer (particularly RPG genre), this will definitely intrigue you.

You already know what it is though. You read the title, right? It's a real life quest log! Might sound stupid at first, but just wait a minute! It's really interesting. You see, I divided my tasks into three prioritized categories and gave each task a score according to its complexity.

Okay okay, I'll just show you mine and you will surely figure it out by ourself. Here it is! The soon-to-be-famous Quest Log:

VILIUS
LVL 1 Survivor (750 EXP, 3000 EXP until LVL 2)

QUEST LOG:

Main (Story) Quests:
• Make appointment to the doctor (if I'm not healthy by the end of the week) (1000 EXP)
• Do an audiotranscript for freelance job (2000 EXP)
• Go to Labour exchange (2000 EXP)
• Make a decent structure for the website you have to make (2500 EXP)
• Actually make a website (5000 EXP)
• Somehow make enough money for next months rent (8000 EXP)
• Volunteer to this one project you're really interested in (15000 EXP)

Side Quests:
• Make appointment to the dentist (300 EXP)
• Create a decent CV (300 EXP)
• Send that CV somewhere (one sent CV – 500 EXP)
• Buy a new pair of jeans (600 EXP)
• Buy new shoes (600 EXP)
• Find any freelance job as a writer (700 EXP)
• Visit Tax Inspection (2000 EXP)
• Get back my table from ex-girlfriend (2000 EXP)

Tasks (Daily Challenges):
• Take out empty bottles (100 EXP)
• Shave (100 EXP)
• Wake up earlier than 8 A.M. (150 EXP)
• Clean your room (200 EXP, including kitchen 300 EXP, including that damn stove 400 EXP)
• Visit my grandparents (250 EXP)
• Don't drink today, please (300 EXP)
• Read 40 pages of book (300 EXP)
• (1) DO NOT SMOKE (1000 EXP), (2) SMOKE LESS THAN 5 CIGARETTES PER DAY (500 EXP)
• Spend less than 5 euro a day (1000 EXP)
• Write something... ANYTHING (1500 EXP)

Resources (inventory):
40 euro, smartphone, the Internet, laptop, support of closest family, eight eggs, dumplings with chicken, loaf of bread.

JOURNAL (progress):

Day 1 (27th of September, Tuesday):

I clean as I can

I've decided to clean the kitchen so it wouldn't be so gross to step into it. It went quite well (+100 EXP), maybe that's because when I was cleaning the kitchen I've also managed to clean a stove. I think that wasn't worth my time (worst 1,5 hours ever), though I am proud of myself. Considering that these things in our house happen once every three months or so (+100 EXP). Heck with it, I even cleaned my own room! (+200 EXP), though it wasn't as hard as I thought it will be. Much more time was wasted on screwing with empty bottles. Yeah, I have those. I like beer from time to time. So I turned them in (+100 EXP), got 5,60 euro. Now I have money for a pack of cigarettes. Feels like as if it's free. Also, I've found extra money in my jacket. Sadly, it wasn't that much, so let's not bother talking about it anymore, alright??

Oh, and I didn't buy anything else, so maybe I will spend less than 5 euro today (when you think about it, this limit is absurd since just a pack of cigarettes already costs 2,70 euro... Well, I wanted to quit anyway...).

P.S. Shaved my beard, visited my grandparents. It seems I hadn't put many effort into it. It was easy. And you have to visit your family - that's important (+200 EXP).

Completed:
• Take out empty bottles (100 EXP) ✓
• Clean your room (200 EXP, including kitchen 300 EXP, including that damn stove 400 EXP) ✓
• Visit my grandparents (250 EXP) ✓
Total: 750 EXP

Day 2 (28th of September, Tuesday):
FAIL

Day 3 (29th of September, Wednesday):
FAIL

Day 4 (30th of September, Thursday):
FAIL

STAT INFO

Passive abilities:
• High tolerance for various drugs
• Bullshit detector/generator
• Makes money disappear
• Has red eyes
• Knows how to make a knot for earphones

Flaws:
• Prefers to do nothing
• Loses his swag all the time
• Can’t control his beard
• Thinks he is better than everybody

Skills

Might: 9
Intelligence: 14
Endurance: 10
Willpower: 4
Luck: 12
SWAG: 6
Charm: 7
Music taste: 6
Cuteness: 11
Being annoying: 15

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Sooo, anyway... If you managed to stick with me, let's dive into it for a bit.

It's a simple self-tracking mechanism that decently and honestly distributes rewards you for your specific actions. It lets you plan and prioritize tasks by giving them score of importance. And this is the fun part - tracking your progress. It might take a little bit more time than just counting your Experience Points every day and level up quickly. It's like a journal that you can fill with anything just by having a productive day. And you feel bad if you don't do anything that's on the list. This is also a legitimate form of motivation. Well, kind of.

So, you set your priorities straight, you know your goals, you know what's important and you can reward yourself for every task. And remember, every task is a quest, which might turn into adventure. It happens. Quite everything is possible in this universe. I have no doubt that you've seen some crazy stuff too.

If you're feeling depressed or just can't stop procrastinating, writing your thoughs this way can help you overcome ugliness in your life or otherwise help you figure out what is wrong.

And it motivates, because it's fun. Try it!

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to consider following me. It might be the best decision of your day.