Buzz!

Some of you may have aware that I like coding, being in C# or HTML or whatever there is out there.

But not all of it is fun. Which bits are, and which aren't? And how can we make the bits that aren't much fun more enjoyable?

Now, this is just what works for me. I'm well aware of what Myers-Briggs personality type I am (Thinker? I BELIEVE so) and I thrive on having hard problems to solve and forging through unknown situations. I like making order out of chaos. And I know that'd terrify some of my friends.

But this post is more about the feeling of "completion" when something is finished, and done properly. That's the buzz.

Game players (myself included, got me a ps3 for my recent birthday present hehe) have, of course, experienced this for ages. You have levels that you complete. High scores to beat. Bosses to overcome, and trophies to achieve. And each of these is a reward, which keeps you moving onwards. Some reckon that the reward is even biochemical - you get a release of endorphins - which is part of the addiction.

Now, writing regular code is, sadly, not as fun as playing computer games. But we can make an environment where we get rewards for completing things. If each thing is small, it's like completing a level on a computer game.

And I get a buzz when I've closed off a task. I'm proud of it.

The flipside is, of course, when the task has to be reopened. I hate bugs, and not that fond of testing either. Not just because it's more work, but because it means the work we thought was done isn't, and the clients just couldnt stop calling!!!!!

So we've already had the reward - but we're still ploughing through the task. We're replaying the same old level.

So, let's look at the list of tasks as a game. Completing them is sometimes arduous, but you can be proud of the finished result.

And we can always compete for that elusive highscore.