… if we look at Agile from a gameful viewpoint, we can see some features of it that resonate with games. These add another reason why many, many developers find the Agile development process a way to work that leaves them motivated and engaged.

Gameful thinking is about analyzing processes and problems in terms of a game. It doesn't mean everything is a game, but as Jane McGonigal shows in 'SuperBetter', using gameplay can make you more resilient, more able to meet your goals, and more able to stay motivated.

It is a personal favourite of mine, and this makes for a quick 10-15 minute burst of concentrated play. This can trigger the flow state we have been discussing and help my own concentration on other tasks that follow.

There is a psychological concept called "flow", first described by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (try saying that without speaking Hungarian). Flow is a state of mind where you are highly engaged in a task, and performing that task at your highest level of ability, and have a level of contentment in meeting your goals.

What you think you've said, and what the other person hears can be a world apart. Understanding that can really help in many aspects.