We've already explored how metaphors help us understand complex thinking processes, how game mechanics are embedded in our minds, and how the concept of the “brain as a smartphone” reveals our cognitive system. Now let's take that understanding to the next level by examining the Portal Method, which has become a powerful tool for personal development in my life.
When I first used Portals, they seemed like mere visual markers for mental journeys—slides with steps where images symbolized processes or stages of development. I uploaded various images, collaborated with illustrators, and experimented with the interface.
But as I developed the app and studied game mechanics in parallel, my perspective changed.
I realized that Portals are not just a sequence of steps—they're a system of game mechanics, hidden in visual form. The structure of Portals mirrors the principles of game design, including levels, rewards, constraints, and motivational triggers.
The deeper I explored the method, the more powerful it became, because deep understanding amplifies the tool’s effectiveness.
Initially, I thought a Portal was just a gamification tool for managing projects or challenges.
Over time, I came to understand that a Portal is a much deeper and more universal concept.
A Portal is a game, built on a system of game mechanics. It transforms any process into a journey, where each game mechanic plays its role and enhances the effect of the others.
Traditionally, a goal is seen as something specific and measurable:
But a goal can take many forms and measurements. It may be long-term or short-term, precisely measurable or more abstract. It's crucial to understand that a goal is not only a final result but also a direction of movement.
When I started using Portals, I made an important discovery: the specific outcome was more like a reward (a game mechanic), whereas the goal in a Portal is primarily direction and process.
The goal in a Portal became a special relationship with the topic I chose. This approach doesn't negate concrete results; rather, it expands them.
If I set out to write a book, I’m moving toward that goal—but I’m also becoming a writer, diving into the world of writing. In music, I might aim to produce an album, but the process lets me become a musician and inhabit that reality.
It’s like a technique I call the "goal-journey." My goal is simply to travel in the direction of what I want to realize. It's not a rigid obligation—more like a hope, a gentle current guiding me forward with the understanding that growth is the main thing.
Portals taught me a valuable lesson: over time, the endless chase for the “carrot” (the result) faded. I learned to truly appreciate the beauty of the process itself and the importance of growth. This naturally manifested in my projects and challenges.
For example, if your Portal is focused on writing, you could set a clear goal (“Write a book”). But you could also choose a process-oriented goal — “Explore the world of writing.” The former may box you in; the latter lets you explore freely and grow along the way.
This approach brings surprising freedom. When you're not tied to a specific result, but instead immersed in a relationship with the topic, you're open to new possibilities. Your path becomes organic, not mechanical.
A Portal creates space where you can move toward a goal and enjoy the journey. Over time, you'll find that results arrive naturally—not as something you force, but as the fruit of genuine interest and consistent development.
Deep understanding comes with time. After completing several Portals, you’ll notice how your view of goals shifts—from rigid fixation on results to a flexible, creative interaction with the process, where every step holds intrinsic value.
You can set up the Portal however you like. Want a concrete result? Set a clear goal. Want to explore a process? Frame the goal as a direction.
I noticed something interesting: rigid, measurable goals (like SMART) often paralyze action. Why? Because it’s impossible to know the result in advance—and that creates pressure.
Portals remove that pressure. Just start moving, and by the 99th step, your mind will be functioning on a different level. You’ll see what you truly want and how it can be achieved.
If the Portal doesn’t fixate on the final result, how does it relate to SMART goal setting?
Actually, a Portal fully satisfies SMART criteria:
The key difference: the result isn’t predefined. You evolve, expand your perception, and by the end, you make more conscious decisions based on new experience.
Imagine: you start a music Portal thinking you’ll write songs. But by step 100, you realize you’re more interested in producing or sound engineering. In the traditional model, this might look like failure. In the Portal system, it's natural evolution—an enrichment of your path.
Each Portal consists of a certain number of steps. Historically — 100 steps. You can adapt this method — choose any number of steps and change the Portal’s structure. But I still advocate for the number 100.
💡 Why 100?
Of course, it's your conscious choice.
How it works:
After 100 steps, a result is inevitable. Sometimes significant changes come earlier; other times it feels like nothing’s happening — but transformation is already in motion.
I know this from personal experience: 100 steps always lead to success. It might not look the way you expected, but the key is to choose the right perspective — and we’ll discuss that more later in the book.
The game mechanic "Rules" is one of the most powerful. It not only helps structure the process but also develops independence, flexible thinking, and the ability to self-manage your learning.
In Portals, there are no rigid restrictions — you create the rules, and that’s what gives you freedom.
You decide what your Portal will look like.
🔹 Want to complete a Portal in 100 days? → Then one step = one day.
🔹 Want to measure by hours? → For example, 100 hours of work, spread however you like.
🔹 Want to log only major milestones? → Track progress weekly or monthly.
💡 Examples from my own Portals:
✔ In one Portal, I consistently dedicated 100 hours to mastering a skill.
✔ In another, I was completing a meditation course, and each session counted as a step.
✔ In one Portal, a step took 15 minutes, in another — up to three days.
📌 Important: There’s no universal format. You adapt the system to your goals.
✔ You learn to manage your time and processes.
✔ Choosing your rules increases awareness of what works for you.
✔ You break free from rigid frameworks and create your own development system.
Over time, this skill extends beyond Portals. You begin applying it in all areas of life.
While the step format is flexible, the basic 100-step structure remains.
Why? Because 100 steps create transformational experience.
📌 You can take 100 steps in one day, if you like.
📌 You can stretch a Portal over a year, if that’s your pace.
📌 You can experiment, but the principle of steps remains unchanged.
Rules are a tool that develops creative thinking.
Use them consciously, and they’ll start working for you.
Every educational system relies on reminders.
We all have relationships with apps.
Some check Instagram, TikTok, Facebook daily. I opened my Portals daily — that was my natural reminder.
I didn’t need an external signal because I had built an internal connection with the process.
✔ If what you’re doing really matters to you, you’ll return to it naturally.
✔ If the Portal becomes part of your life, it integrates into your daily reality.
Of course, everyone has their own approach. If you need extra reminders — use them.
I very rarely deleted Portals. Some remained active for years.
📌 For instance, I created a Portal with a promise to read 100 books.
📌 Honestly, I haven’t finished it yet, and it’s been years.
📌 But that Portal still reminds me how important reading is.
Each time I opened the app, I saw that Portal.
Even when I wasn’t actively progressing in it, it subconsciously kept my attention on the topic of reading.
This effect turned out to be fascinating.
🔹 I wasn’t comparing myself to others or feeling pressure like “you must read this many books”.
🔹 But the Portal stayed with me, and I was consciously or subconsciously more open to reading.
🔹 As a result, I read far more books than if I’d simply ignored the importance of it.
📌 Reminder works even when it seems like it doesn’t.
Even if I paused reading or stopped learning a language, the Portal was still visible.
And sooner or later, I always returned to it.
You can use Portals not just for concrete projects.
You can create Portals for concepts that are important to you.
📌 Example:
If you create a Portal on the concept of goal-setting, your mind starts noticing more information on goals.
Suddenly, you notice an interesting book, overhear a conversation, or discover a course or article.
📌 This isn’t magic — it’s a psychological phenomenon:
We open ourselves to information that is already present in our awareness.
So even if you’re taking a break, the reminder still works.
The Portal creates an informational field that helps you grow, even in the background.
✔ A reminder is a powerful self-management tool that helps direct your attention to what you've decided is important.
✔ It helps you stay focused and open to new opportunities.
✔ Portals can act as anchors you return to — even if you take a break.
A reminder is a quiet but persistent voice that says:
“Remember your path.”
So don’t rush to close your Portals. Sometimes, just having them open keeps you moving forward.
Every Portal can be imagined as a journey, where the metaphor transforms the process into an engaging adventure.
📌 Example: If your Portal is “write a book,” imagine yourself as an author embarking on an expedition, where each chapter is a new, uncharted territory.
When I was reflecting on the identity of the Theory of 100, the most obvious idea was to use the metaphor of a journey.
🔹 In everyday life, we face challenges.
🔹 In Portals, we travel through new lands, moving toward a goal.
🔹 Every action becomes a step into the unknown.
This metaphor became the foundation of the app: it was designed to upload visualizations for each challenge.
💡 How Does This Influence Thinking?
At first, I saw the metaphor as just a helpful image. But over time, I realized that metaphor is a game mechanic—it develops creative and metaphorical thinking.
📌 Metaphorical thinking:
I noticed that this game mechanic was silently leveling up my mind.
📌 Small changes accumulated over time to create a global effect.
I remember how I once committed to learning a language for “5 minutes a day.” Many thought that wasn’t enough. But that’s a limiting belief:
👉 If you study French 5 minutes a day for three years, you can build a solid foundation.
👉 You’ll learn grammar, reading, writing, and create a stable base for further progress.
📌 Respect the power of small steps!
Even if it seems like one step changes nothing, it triggers a chain reaction of transformation. The key is consistency.
When you apply metaphorical thinking in your Portals, it will begin to activate in real life too. You’ll start automatically looking for metaphors, noticing connections, and thinking beyond conventional boundaries.
We often say that metaphor turns the process into an exciting adventure. But what does “exciting” actually mean?
🔹 When I was going through a Portal on dancing, it was hard.
🔹 I got up early, did warm-ups, practiced moves.
🔹 Was that exciting?
We’re used to the word “exciting” being associated with joy, fun, roller coasters, video games, or movies. But for some, climbing Everest is exciting.
💡 True excitement isn’t always a rush of endorphins.
It’s not necessarily lightness or euphoria, but a deep sense of meaning.
✔ You feel like you’re doing something that truly matters.
✔ You feel like you’re on the right path.
✔ You may be calm, but you’re completely immersed in the process.
📌 From the outside, it might look like you’re just sitting and writing.
📌 Or quietly observing, thinking, planning.
📌 But inside, there’s a profound internal process unfolding.
So when I say “the metaphor makes the process exciting,” I mean excitement on a deeper level—when you’re not just doing something, but you feel it’s your path.
The “Success” mechanic in the Portal system is a unique element that fundamentally changes how we view completing a journey. Unlike the traditional notion of success as achieving a specific goal, in Portals, success is defined by simply completing 100 steps, regardless of the outcome.
Limiting a Portal to 100 steps creates a natural “growth rhythm” — each Portal has a beginning and an end, which forms a rhythm of development. Finishing this cycle, even if the result is different from the initial intention, is perceived by the mind as a success.
When you fill in the last circle or check off the final step, a crucial psychological moment occurs: you’ve fulfilled a promise to yourself, completed what you started, and gone through a full cycle. This creates deep inner satisfaction that doesn’t depend on external validation.
The “Success” mechanic acts as psychological reinforcement with several key benefits:
The most important trait of the "Success" mechanic is that it makes starting the next game easier. Usually, launching a new project requires overcoming inertia and resistance. But after completing a Portal, starting a new one feels more natural and carries less psychological weight.
While “Success” is linked to the inner sense of completion, the “Reward” mechanic is about the tangible, measurable result of your efforts — a finished book, an album, a business launch.
In traditional goal-setting, the reward is often the primary motivator. In Portals, rewards are still valued, but their role shifts in the motivation hierarchy:
One of the Portal method’s elegant features is the balance between these two mechanics:
This dual system reflects the deep philosophy of Portals — simultaneous focus on both process and outcome. It helps avoid two common extremes:
Through the interplay of “Success” and “Reward,” the Portal system gradually transforms how we relate to our outcomes:
Every completed Portal, regardless of the outcome, becomes a source of experience, knowledge, and personal growth. The “Success” mechanic acknowledges and reinforces that value, while the “Reward” mechanic gives a tangible result that affirms your journey.
Over time, this creates a healthier, more productive approach to achievement — where process and result exist in harmony, rather than in tension.
This chapter explored the Portal Method as a complete system of game mechanics, hidden beneath a visual interface. We discovered how a harmonious combination of these mechanics creates a powerful tool for personal growth.
We now understand that Portals are not just a sequence of steps, but a comprehensive structure that echoes the principles of game design. The deeper your understanding, the better the system works.
Portals unite process and outcome into harmonious unity, dissolving the tension between them and unlocking a deeper reservoir of energy and motivation.
The strength of this method lies in its practicality. Unlike abstract advice to “enjoy the process,” Portals provide a concrete tool — track each step of your progress.
This simple act shifts your attention from results to the journey itself.
Over time, this practice builds a new skill — finding joy in moving forward, not just in reaching the destination.
Portals turn abstract growth into tangible experience.
You're not just progressing — you're learning to value every step.
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