For the past few weeks, I pride myself on being able to keep one of the biggest distraction in modern days out of my life. The Pokemon Go. I thought I was never going to be one of the hundreds of millions trapped in the virtual world of catching imaginary monsters.
But knowing the fickle mind of humans when it comes to temptation, I know this day would come eventually. My favorite life coach said that you have to stay focused on your goals no matter what. Well, I think getting the Pokemon Go installed on my smartphone is no exception either.
But hey, I thought downloading the apps would be a good way to create a trendy topic like this. Alright, lame excuse. The truth is, after seeing so many retailers using Pokemon Go as their marketing gimmicks, I just know I have to download it. You know, when they offer discounts or free meals to customers who have some rare monsters or a high character level, I wouldn’t want to miss out.
See, I’m drifting off and not focus on my goal already (which is to blog about staying focus on our goal). And this is only the first day I’m on Pokemon Go. Hello, Pokemon addicts out there, do you still remember what are your goals are?
(Well, if you didn’t have one then I recommend you to visit this lovely post on goal setting at Mindtools)
Well, if you have recollected what your goals are; passing your exams, getting promoted, landing more big clients or quitting Pokemon Go(no, seriously!), then there are the few things you (and me ) must do. Here’re 7 ways of how to stay focused on your goals, especially if you are a Pokemon Go addict.
1. Write It Down.
I know, almost every single motivational speaker has asked you to do it. Most books that talk about the importance of goal setting will ask you to write it down. So get a pen and paper to start writing your goals (if you haven’t done it). Oh, and stay off the Pokemon while you’re at it.
Why do you need to put your goals in writing? Because a study has shown that people who wrote down their goals tend to achieve them more than those who do not. When you write, you commit it to your memory. It’s harder for you to slack off without feeling guilty.
2. Make It Visible
“What you see, you remember”. I didn’t know who is the first one uttering this quote, but I remember T Harv Eker is a big fan of these words in his courses. So place it right where you can see it easily. Or at strategic positions that can remind you of your goals when you have the urge to start the Pokemon hunting.
And be sure you follow up with actions that lead you to achieve those goals. Else, it would be just wasted ink on papers.
3. Set Your Pokemon Hunting Hours
At first, I don’t understand what’s the secret sauce of this game that has got people addicted to it. I mean, we couldn’t even trade the virtual monsters for money. After throwing Pokeballs and got quite a good catch on my first day, (and the more than occasional drive to Pokestops), I think it is the thrill of hunting taken to the virtual world that is causing all these addictions.
Even though it’s imaginary and the quest to capture some of the rare monsters that made it such a craze. Well, it’s the Law of Scarcity working at its best here. Balance is the key here. So set your Pokemon hours, maybe 1-2 hours per day to catch those monsters. Or probably a jog down the garden to hatch those Pokemon eggs. You should know best not to let it interfere with your goals.
4. Listen to Relaxing Music For Focus
I’m actually listening to this clip on Youtube while writing this post. It’s calm, soothing and made me focus on what I’m doing. It’s kind of filling the gap in your thoughts with the calm notes of the music.
It’s still secondary to meditation or mindfulness practice, but it will do to get the Pokemon out of my head for a while. Give it a try and let me know, will you?
5. Download Lumosity
You have games to distract you (Yes, It’s Pokemon Go). And you have games that help to sharpen your mind. Lumosity has over 50+ cognitive games designed by scientists and games designer. Lumosity is designed to help people of all ages challenged to the full extent of their abilities.
Well, for a brain training apps/game that pales in comparison to Pokemon in popularity, it has over 70 million registered users from 182 countries. Well, instead of catching monsters during lunch time, how about boosting our brain muscles for a change? Here’s the link to Lumosity website.
6. Have Short Breaks In Between
No, I’m not giving excuses to check out my little monsters now. Ask any athletes to workout for continuous hours without rests and what you’ll get? Fatigue, burnout or injury. The same thing is going to happen to our brain muscles. You get mental fatigue, low productivity and get distracted easily.
Taking a break restores your motivation, attention, productivity, and creativity. Here’s the list compiled by Jaymi Heimbuch on TreeHugger.com on scientific studies on the benefits of taking a break. It could be a 15 minutes break every one hour or a 30 minutes break after every two hours. In my opinion, I think the optimum break time differs from various individuals. It’s up to you to find out what’s best for you.
7. Practice Mindfulness
Life has been distractive enough before Pokemon Go made its entrance into smartphones. The human mind is like some of the Pokemon monsters, jumping all over the places when you are trying to capture it.
So there comes mindfulness practice. It could be in the form of meditation, where we train to observe the thoughts of our mind. We can even bring mindfulness practice into our daily life. When we are aware of what we are thinking or doing, it is easy to stop the temptation that will drive us away from doing what we are supposed to. Practice mindfulness. You will never regret it.
Are you one of the hundreds of millions playing Pokemon Go? Are you ever on the lookout for Snorlax, Pikachu or Bulbasaur? Has the addiction been distracting and disruptive to you? Or do you know someone who is so totally into this game that it has been disrupting their lives? Share your thoughts below.
Why people become addict to this Pokemon? Have let you interview those addict yet? Look at their lifestyle and goals in life 5 or 10 years down the road. Have you seen those people who have a double job playing this game?. Their daily goal is to put food on the table for their loved family. Jawaharlal Nehru, the 1st Prime Minister India quoted, “Will you pray when your stomach is hungry?”.
Hi, these are hard question that you are putting out. I think it not only apply to Pokemon addicts but to others as well. Very interesting questions to ponder on. Thanks.
Kenny
I have not tried Pokeman. Just to busy to spend time uselessly but if I was a teenager I more than likely would have been into it. My Pacman days were fun so you can tell my age from that. Luminosity is great especially for older individuals and I enjoy the mind games without leaving for some virtual world I would rather meditate which I find many resources on Youtube. Good article! Thanks, Ron
Hi Ron,
Do stay of Pokemon if you have not started it. It invokes the hidden hunting instinct in men. It’s not really worth it if you have great goals to achieve. Luminosity is something that I would personally be looking into soon.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny.
I’m not into that Pokemon Go frenzy myself but many people I know are. It seems that when you need a break any kind of reason is good even a smartphone game… I do need to put in practice most of your advice especially writing down things I need to do. I will have a look at luminosity. It’s looks like an interesting game. I guess I’m not different than my friends who play Pokemon Go after all 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I guess each of us will have some addiction to be guilty off. Writing blogs is one of mine. As long as we keep things in balance, I guess it will be ok.
Kenny
I am still wondering how this Pokemon Go craziness has started, but hey, it is what it is haha. Nice post that you have here – some of these tips could be applied to other things in life besides Pokemon Go. You have a nice presence in your writing and I love the style that you have. Excellent work!
Hi Austin,
I too wondered before downloading the game. But that’s really beside the point. We still need to stay on track on our goals. Thanks for reading.
Kenny
Hi Kenny!! Thank you for your article. I have been playing so many games in my smart phone but i have not played pokeman yet. But your article gives lot of information about how to avoid it. I have to do what you said definitely to achieve my goals. In the world there are so many ways to distract thing, untill we change our mind no miracles in our life.
Hi Brahma,
You are absolutely right when you say there are no miracles until we change our thoughts. We have been conditioned with years of belief and thoughts. If we are to change our thoughts then we have to do it from the very root.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny
I have not downloaded the application(Lumosity) but I do understand that it is fun, even for older people. I like that it gets people to be more active. But sometimes things like Pokemon can be a distraction to what is really important. So I really appreciate all of your tips.
Hi Wendy,
People need to get active to make their passion and purpose alive.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny
Interesting reminders on how to stay focused. I struggled to stay focused with your obsession with Pokeman though. Was it your intention to keep it very brief as I feel you just scrapped the surface of the issues. Of course you linked to pages with more detail but i feel you could put a bit more on each item to give something to encourage one to act. Maybe illustrative examples beyond Pokeman. What do you think?
Hi Tyrell,
Thank you for your constructive comment. I’ll definitely look into it for my next post.
Kenny.
Amazing website. I really love how you tackled the issue of Pokémon Go. I’ve personally witnessed many people at work (and even some family members) get distracted by that game. It seems this day in age so many things have become distracting. You’ve got a great website here with some fantastic knowledge, an easy to navigate layout and it’s also very easy on the eyes.
Great job!
Hi James,
Thank you for your compliment. I’m trying to bring in new flavours to personal development topics. I thought associating this niche with day-to-day stuff will relate to people more easily.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny
Hello Kenny, I personally don´t bother if someone does not play pokemon go, because I don´t play it either…
It is not that I don´t have time for it, but I don´t see the fun in it. I like this post, because it is important to set goals and try to achieve them, and the paragraph where you urge to write down the goals I have is also very good in my opinion. I have to write that down so I don´t forget… 🙂
Hi Fabi,
Kudos to your self-discipline. Writing goals down is a good way to ensure we stay on track on achieving them.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny
I haven’t played pokomon go yet but my wife and kids are right into it, I think you have some good points on how to not let it take over your life. In the end pokomon go is just like anything else and can only have the power you give it which is why it’s important for people ton reassess their goals, great article…I’ll check out luminosity.
Hi Cambell,
As long as it hasn’t taken over their daily life, then some Pokemon is ok I guess. Feel free to share this post to them too. I’ll be checking out Lumosity too.
Thanks for reading.
Kenny
Very impressed with this clever article containing a road map of how to remain focused on one’s goals with linkage to Pokémon! I particularly liked the point about practising mindfulness which I adopt and find very useful.
Hi James,
Thanks for the compliment. I am trying to bring in day-to-day stuff or trends and link it to the personal devlopment topic. I thought it would be something different. I’m glad you like it. Thanks.
I believe that: One key to success is to stay focused on his goals, not to scatter.
We often have a lot to manage at the same time:
•Work,
•The family,
• Money,
• Etc …
When we work all day, the round trip takes us time, the first thing we want to do at night is to rest.
This is obvious, but if you have a goal to improve it every day, think to stay focused on its goals.
So we have to learn to use time differently in order to have this possibility to change some things that we want to see happen in the future.
Life has been distractive enough before Pokemon Go made its entrance into smartphones. After reading this article, I will recommend everyone who would like to be focused on his goals to go for mindfulness practice. It is one of the best way to stay focused on your goals.
Thank You for publishing this article.
Hi Pat,
I guess there will always be distractions in life. It’s only that this Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm. You are right that mindfulness practice is helpful to staying in focus. In fact it is one of the lowest cost(sometimes free) and underused method to build laser-like focus.
Kenny
Hi! I have loved Pokemon ever since it came out when I was about 12. When Pokemon Go came out, there’s no way I wasn’t going to get it. But as much fun as is, I found that it was taking over my life. I have to just stop for an entire week, and since then, I have been a lot more reasonable with it. I only dedicate a few days out of the week when I go out specifically to play. Can’t lose sight of what’s truly important in life, right?
Hi Jason,
It’s great to see how you got your self-control especially it’s a game that you absolutely love. Never get your eyes off the goal.
Kenny.
Hi I think that this is a great article. I happen to know plenty of people who loves Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go is a very addictive game. It is to the point where that is all that people focus on doing for hours. I myself had to delete the game it was to much of a distraction. I even have friends that travel to different cities to catch Pokemon. I think that I should tell them to visit your website. I think that it would really help then learn how to balance everything, and still get other things done while enjoying the game.
Hi Scott,
The key is the balance. No matter what we do balance matters. It’s not about spending equal time doing things but it’s about allocating quality time to different aspect of line. Feel free to share my website.
Thanks.
Kenny