Life Lessons from Video Games: Skeuomorphism & Journaling

Did You Remember to Save?

Since the days of battery based save systems on the NES, I’ve been an almost compulsive game saver. I find myself creating multiple save states in some games – at one point, I think I had 12 different save points for Metal Gear Solid 4, and my saves in Half Life 2 almost required their own indexed search function.

Saving your progress in a game has become essential, both as the length and complexity of video games have increased, but also in a personal way, as I find it difficult to spend long amounts of time progressing through games in one sitting.

In many games, skeuomorphism is employed to express a method for saving a players progress. The Grand Theft Auto series is a prime example, using everything from audio cassettes to “Save to cloud” icons on a smart phone as methods for saving in-game progress.

One of the most memorable examples for me, was Resident Evil’s use of an old fashioned typewriter that even limited the number of saves by requiring the player to use up an ink ribbon to record your progress. The Playstation hardware further added another layer to this arrangement, as the system required a separate memory card to save the game. The first time I played Resident Evil, I was lacking a memory card, and as a result could not save my progress at all!

Regardless of the iconography used, saving your game is all about picking up where you left off. We spend hours working, collecting, progressing, and advancing, so naturally, we don’t want to start over from the very beginning.

Have you ever found yourself making the same mistake over and over again, perhaps even telling yourself “I’ve learned my lesson this time,” only to find yourself falling into the same situation again? I know I’ve dealt with this, more times that I care to admit.

I finally decided that I needed to do something differently, so I started writing down the lessons that I had learned, or at least the mistakes that I had made. I cannot tell you how much of a difference this has made in my life.

Whether you use a high-tech or a low-tech solution, it really doesn’t matter. There is tremendous value in increasing your energy levels and productivity when you take the time to stop and reflect. The best way I know how to do this, is to keep a journal.

The idea may sound intimidating to some, but I found it to be rather easy by using a journal template that I created. In my template, I simply list five key areas that I use every day to structure my thoughts.

Make it Simple: Use a Template

I keep my journal in a software program, using an app on my phone.

http://evernote.com

Evernote is great because the content is hosted via cloud based storage. This means that whether I’m taking notes at my computer, on my phone, or any other location – I have access to all my data. I also don’t have to worry about what happens to my journal if I need to replace my phone or computer.

The Template

After reading Robert D Smith’s “20,000 Days and Counting” about a year ago, I started titling each journal entry with the number representing how many days I have been alive. For example, today is day 12,502.

My faith is important to me, so my template starts out with a segment reflecting on a reading from the Bible. I usually will just paste a verse or two and leave a few comments of reflection for myself. Read something thoughtful or inspiring during this time to help shape your thoughts for the day.

The next section I have is titled “emotions.” In this section, I write a few thoughts about how I’m feeling at this particular moment, or in a global sense, how I feel about the day coming up. This also allows time and space for me to reflect on what’s happening as well as clarifying the thoughts of what I would like to see happen.

Next, I have my wife’s name where I write thoughts about our relationship and good memories that I’ve had over the past 24 hours.

Then I have my son’s name listed, where I comment on what’s going on with our relationship, important milestones, and anything else worth commenting on that has happened in the past 24 hours.

The last section on my journal template is titled “work” and this covers more than just my day job, but any endeavors I have happening. This is also where I reflect on the progress of any projects I may have, and my personal thoughts about related items.

Beyond Skeuomorphism

I find that writing in the journal is much easier when I use a template. The template allows me to use these different categories to help me to focus and think about what matters most, learn from past mistakes, and prompt my thoughts about what is important to me.

Do you journal? If so, how do you use a journal in your life?

Get a printable copy of the template for FREE (Included in the Street Fighter’s Morning Routine for Epic Energy) FREE Access Now!