We’re not going to make it, are we? People I mean.
this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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Corporations just want you to keep using their shit. But for someone who has ADHD and is autistic, streaks and gamification can help me a lot to make something a habit.
Personally found streaks to be very helpful. In fact, on the homescreen of my phone is a very popular IOS app called Streaks!
Maintaining streaks has helped me a lot in fitness, mindfulness and discipline in general.
I also like streaks, but you have to careful which streaks you invite into your life. They are great for self improvement, but you really do not want some company like Reddit or some random game from exploiting that. You also do want to be careful with fitness related streaks - you need some rest. If you are sick, you really shouldn't exercise. If you are injured, you need time to heal and streaks totally sabotage you here
I just dropped my 600 streak in duolingo because it just made me feel like clicking through a chore instead of putting genuine effort into learning a language. I'm looking into some alternatives now
Create your own spaced repetition system, either using something like Anki, or using physical flash cards.
I am almost at the same point decided to make it to 1000 and then stop
My decision was also due to the AI first thing
What are some alternatives you checked out already?
I hated this when battlefield did this with daily missions to unlock things. Like, fml, I just want to enjoy a complete game. Trinkets and skins mean nothing to me.
I got hooked once. But its apple watch activity ring, at least my health is improved since then.
I uninstalled Duolingo the day they started offering to restore your streak for money.
Streak addiction is real, I had one Snapchat streak years ago that was over 1500, the person it was with and I would send one snap a day of nothing really just to keep the streak going. It got to the point that the one snap was the only time I communicated with that person, and it was honestly a relief when the streak finally lapsed. I had a few times where I was camping with no signal and would literally go on hikes with no destination just to find phone signal to send my daily snap to them.
Number go up makes monkey brain happy, even when you’re aware of how dumb it is.
Idle games like cookie clicker exploit this to a shocking degree.
Ironically, cookie clicker is actually a parody of idle games, and once you get far enough, there is genuine strategy (assuming you enjoy doing math).
Still doesn't change the fact the objective is to make number go up
Every gamer should try cookie clicker once as it really does expose how many games work under the hood. If you play cookie clicker, you'll notice those number-go-up mechanics everywhere and that really gives you another perspective on some modern grindfests. It also is a really good game
My duolingo streak addiction made me fucking miserable, but I just couldn't stop. I knew that breaking it would plunge me into a horrible depressive state. I finally broke free after finishing the diamond league and make peace with "good enough". I haven't been able to use duolingo ever since, because there's apparently no way of just using duolingo normally without gamification.
I’m switching over to Babbel when my duo subscription lapses in the fall, much less gamified, actual human speakers for the language I want to learn, and they aren’t trying to shovel AI into everything like duo is
Check out mango. Its pleasant and has a really nice interface.
You can use your library card for free premium access.
Sucks that you have to create a login to search if your library is included. I don't care enough to create a login for something I might not use
My library district actually just got access to Mango in May, I downloaded it, but I haven’t had a chance to try it
Thanks!
None of these ever worked on me. I see Reddit started doing it too btw.
Same. In fact, streaks tend to anger me because it feels like manipulation to me, which disincentivizes me from doing anything streak-related. I’m not rushing out to the supermarket just bc my points are about to expire, and I’m sure af not paying a subscription kits so they don’t expire.
I feel shame when I go to reddit because I hate seeing "Yaaaay!!!! 10 day streak!!! You are addicted woooohooooo!!!!"
I will say, with Duolingo I do appreciate the manipulation to keep me going. I probably wouldn't have spent near as much time on another language if it weren't for keeping that streak going. I can definitely understand the harm in it being used for maligne purposes. With any tool, it's who wields it and for what intent.
As I always say about duolingo, if you have not completed the course in 3 months you won't learn a language with it. Duolingo is a good introduction when you don't know anything about a language, but you need a lot of advanced materials they they don't really have to become fluent.
Though if your goal is just to play a game and feel like you are learning something - well at least you get some vocabulary. It won't teach you a language but that need not be your goal.
I disagree. Let people learn in their pace and do not set unrealistic targets. It's not really possible to complete e.g. the french course in 3 months if you have other stuff to do like work or family. Took me longer, but now I'm able to be in France, read what is written on the signs and also able to communicate with the locals.
Sure after a fashion you can work out some basics. don't confuse that with knowing the language.
I don't know what language you were learning, but I think it's impossible to finish Spanish. True, I usually go one lesson per day, but after nearly 3000 days I'm at 6/8 section. I finished once the tree out a lot of effort in, they reworked the whole thing and I got back to the middle
if your pace is that slow you will never make enough progress to learning the language. It takes hours of study every day to learn a language. You can go at a slower pace and that is okay - so long as you are not thinking you will learn the language in your lifetime.
As a single tool, no, not a chance in hell of becoming fluent. It's definitely a good aide and introduction to branch out into more media and sources of another language though.
The only difference is that Reddit's doesn't work. You can skip days it will resume counting just fine. It is just a counter of how many days you interacted with the site, for now.
Gamification.
Employers use it in lieu of paying living wages. Business employ the practice with rewards cards.
Humans physiologically crave competition and the sweet dopamine of accomplishment.
Man that headline was so hard for me to read for some reason
"Streaks" is a string but it would be easier for us to read if it was "streak"