The Octalysis Brainstorming Engine: How to Generate 100+ Engagement Ideas in One Session
Octalysis brainstorming sessions don’t look like normal brainstorming sessions. I learned this the hard way when I sat…
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The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
The Sincere Apology Framework: Professional Relationship Repair Through Behavioral Design
A colleague I deeply respected cut off all contact with me. No warning. No conversation. Just silence, followed…
Lifestyle Inertia Design: The 5-Component Self-Gamification System That Replaces Willpower
Every productivity system I’ve encountered makes the same fundamental error: it treats procrastination as a character flaw and…
Invest in Your Future Self: The Anti-Carpe Diem Philosophy
I strongly dislike the movie Dead Poets Society. Not because it’s poorly made. It’s beautifully crafted. Robin Williams…
The Law of Small Numbers: Why Your Brain Fails at Statistics
I teach behavioral design for a living. I’ve spent two decades studying what makes people do things. And…
Graduated Achievement Design: Stars, Badges, and Collection Sets
Here’s the problem with most achievement systems: they exist on a single dimension. You either earned the badge…
The Plausibility Detector: How to Raise Critical Thinkers
Most parents are training their children to obey. They think they’re teaching critical thinking because they ask “Why…
Badges That Backfire: Why Most Achievement Systems Destroy Motivation
If you’ve spent time in a modern app, a language learning platform, an employee training system, a fitness…
Why Losing Hurts Twice as Much: The Psychology Behind Every Decision You Regret
We feel losses more intensely than equivalent gains. That asymmetry, often described as loss aversion in behavioral economics,…