I just saw someone show off that “ultimate guardian” badge again. I clicked in, and turns out the unlock requirements are 30 consecutive days, daily check-ins, and completing 3 tasks every day. Honestly, I really admire it, but I also feel bad for the time you have to spend.

I got into something like this early on too. I always felt like points were being wasted—that they could be exchanged for an airdrop or a whitelist instead. Later I worked it out carefully: if you spend half an hour a day grinding tasks, that’s 15 hours in a month. If you put that time into seriously researching a project or doing something else, the returns might be higher. And a lot of project teams design points and badges specifically to create “sunk cost,” so you feel like you can’t leave—while also boosting daily active user numbers.

Recently I’ve also been seeing the same kind of playbook from celebrity memecoin callers—using FOMO (fear of missing out) and attention to trap people. Old players always say don’t catch the last train, but when you’re really emotionally swept up, who remembers that?

My approach now is: track how much time each task takes, then ask myself—if I turn that half hour into money, how much can it buy? In many cases, the answer is “not worth it.” Points and badges are, plain and simple, a numbers game. Don’t let them drain all your time and energy—work out the math first, then decide.