I wrote this article in record time thanks to a gamified focus tool that turned me into my own lofi girl

Most days I feel like my brain is constantly in overdrive. I struggle to happily exist in silence, everything is vying for my attention, and I have a severe case of Magpie Syndrome that leads me astray down hours-long rabbit holes when I should be focusing on an important task. I've been doing a lot of research into productivity crap lately as a result—how the hell do I become a better, more well-rounded adult who has their shit together? Turns out, maybe it's videogames.

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions launched on Steam earlier this week. It's a productivity tool disguised as a cutesy, cosy videogame that lets me design my very own lofi girl or synthwave boy and plonk them into a snug, customisable bedroom. Oh, and I even get to choose my own wee spirit pet who naps alongside me. Now, does that part actually help me be more productive at all? Not really—in fact, it's actually carved a 30-minute chunk out of my work day, sorry boss—but it sure does look pretty.

I've outfitted virtual Mollie in a cosy hoodie-sweatpants combo and decorated my room with copious fairy lights and polaroids (gotta make it a little like real life somehow), which means I can now set her to go about her day. Maybe I'm taking a nap and want my virtual self to join me by setting her on the bed, or I can have her knitting by the fireplace. For now, I've chucked her at her desk—just like me!—where she's tippy-tapping away at her keyboard—also just like me! Neat.

To top off the cosy lofi vibes, Spirit City even comes with a playlist of curated beats that I can listen to while I have the game open, plus the option to plug in my own music. I've opted for «Uplifting Spirit Infusion» in the hopes that it'll give me the pep I need to do all my work while I'm slowly succumbing to my third cold of the year. I mean, look at all I've written so far! It's gotta be working. 

Okay, sorry, enough about all the gamey bits. I promise this is actually helping me right now. Spirit City's big productivity tool is a