Medium Is Like Playing Temple Run

How to make goals on Medium and achieve them

Remember the late 2000s when iPhones became all the rage?

Everybody wanted one. Even more so, everyone wanted to play classic games on the App Store like Angry Birds, Doodle Jump and Fruit Ninja.

Another game that was just as addicting? Temple Run.

On the run from evil villains, each player is an explorer making their way through the various obstacles, collecting coins, and trying to survive.

All the while, they are completing various objectives set in the game.

Most times, Medium is much like Temple Run.

When I first began writing for Medium two weeks ago, I did not know what I was getting myself into. I dove into an ocean of uncertainty and have been swimming ever since.

The more I wrote, studied, and took part in the community, the more I realized I had done this all before.

But where?

I read recently where in order to be successful on Medium, one must make goals of success for themselves. And they can be anything.

How much money do you want to make? How many followers are you hoping to have? How do you want to build your writing skills?

I then created goals for myself that looked a little like this:

• Write for at least 3 publications.
• Make $20 a month.
• Make $50 a month.
• Make $100 a month.
• Have 100 followers.
• Have 250 followers.
• Have 500 followers.
• Earn 1,000 views.
• Earn 2,000 views.

And it’s helped me ever since.

By making such goals, it’s become easier to work toward them.

I know what I want to achieve. By learning and working on how to reach my goals, I am much more focused than without goals.

This made me think of Temple Run.

If you’ve never played the game, the explorer must try to complete the objectives at hand.

• Run 500m without collecting coins.
• Run 1000m without collecting coins.
• Use two power-ups in one game.
• Use four power-ups in one game.
• Collect 1,000 coins in one game.
• Collect 5,000 coins in one game.

By having objectives, it makes the game become much more addictive, as the player must keep playing to achieve a certain goal.

A lot like Medium.

When I created my goals, I tried to make them reasonable and achievable starting out.

For example, when I started, I set out to write for three publications. Now I write for five.

I achieved my goal and then some. This led me to create another one: write for 10 publications.

It’s something for me to work toward now.

And you can do it too.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve been on Medium for many years or are still testing the waters like me, it’s never too late to create goals for yourself.

You’ll be much more focused with a clear mind of what you’re setting out to achieve.

Starting today, think of Medium like Temple Run. Not just achieving goals, but so much more.

Obstacles in the game are every time a publication rejects you. Collecting coins is earning followers each day.

Trying to survive in the game is, well, like trying to survive on Medium.

But you have to keep going.

And the more you play the game, or the more you write every day, the better you will be in the long run. So much so, you will achieve your goals before you know it.

If you’ve never played Temple Run or want to rekindle old memories, download it again. And while you’re playing it, keep Medium in mind.

Isn’t every Medium writer just an explorer, trying to survive the site by earning followers, collecting some coin, and growing as a player, rather, writer?

Like Temple Run, start creating your Medium objectives today and see where the adventure takes you.

Good luck and happy writing!