If you only have a limited amount of willpower wouldn't the best idea be to wield it in the most effective manner possible? The app just gives you some tools in

If you only have a limited amount of willpower wouldn't the best idea be to wield it in the most effective manner possible? The app just gives you some tools in order to help you be more effective, it is still up to you to use them. You are forced to come up with a concrete implementation intention. Instead of thinking I'm fat maybe I should exercise you are forced to come up with an actionable item. Jog at least 15 minutes after work on Tuesdays, make garden salad for dinner Thursdays. Through the course of playing the game you end up with metrics that you can use to further help yourself. If you are failing a task every time maybe consider that you set the bar too high to start and you should get back to basics. Likewise you can look and see in concrete terms how much progress you are making. Thinking about smoking a cigarette? Now you thin is it worth breaking my 3 day streak? A small nudge to be sure but sometimes that is all you really need. The gamification aspect is brilliant. Increasing those imaginary numbers just feels good. Getting gold that can be used toward rewards that you previously committed to helps from making silly in the moment rationalizations. Well I parked my car further from the mall instead of finding a close spot that extra exercise earned me the right to eat this whole chocolate cake. Instead you are confronted with the best version of yourself who was not currently smelling chocolate cake. On top of all that the framework gives you room to fail. If you really need to smoke that cigarette it is OKAY. Those 10 hit points of damage are not a big deal just as long as you don't do it every day. It's certainly better than the people who make new years eve resolutions. This is the year I'm going to exercise every day, start eating healthy, finally finish reading all my volumes of The Art of Computer Programming, start volunteering at a soup kitchen and finish that side project I have been working on for the past 2 years.