5 Tips for focusing learned from Arkham Asylum

5 Methods for 

Focusing on the Task at Hand

(Or things I've learned from playing Batman: Arkham Asylum)

It is a war to focus. The mind loves to wander. You are trying to do one thing when another important problem pops up.

This is the golden age of procrastination and distraction. The task at hand is shoved aside in favor of any of the hundred million distractions available to the modern procrastinator.

Focus is a virtue. It’s also a skill to develop and hone.

The Peril of Losing Focus on Your Task

You're trying to focus on a puzzle. Then someone is talking to you. Suddenly, this goon in clown makeup gets the jump on you. All because you weren't focusing.

In the world of Arkham Asylum, Focus is a survival skill. Focus lets you take out a mob of prisoners. Focus is life or death.

Here are some tips I've learned from playing Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Ways to Improve Focus

Eliminate distractions

Bane was already beating you senseless when a half dozen Blackgate prisoners show up. It is a little hard to focus on the juggernaut coming at you when the guy with scalp ridges is trying to punch you in the back of the head. So you takedown bad guy one then you have one less guy trying to kill you. You have eliminated a distraction.

It's not always possible to eliminate distractions. But it’s important to limit them as much as possible. You could go somewhere quiet and private to work. You could download an app that blocks you from going on a nonproductive site. Do what it takes to make focusing the easiest part of your work by giving yourself one thing to focus on.

Break the goal down into tasks

You walk into a room occupied by six gunmen. You can't take them all out. Not all at once. Take one out then you only have five slightly more skittish gunmen to deal with. Then repeat the process, one by one until the room is clear.

Break down the work into tasks. It’s easier to focus on writing a sentence than a novel. Rather than worry about the larger goal, you can focus on the steps that it takes to get to that goal. Each task brings you a step closer and gives you a growing sense of accomplishment.

Step back and calculate

I grew up on Mario with timed levels and bonuses for a quick finish. The bonus gave the player an incentive to just keep running till the end of the level. Mario required  the player to do it fast. Save the princess, stomp the helpless animal, run, run, and run. The do it fast approach can result in an inglorious death in Arkham. It can also result in unnecessary mistakes in life.

Don't sit on your gargoyle forever but don't jump the guy with the gun without a plan to take him down quickly and quietly.

Step back from the situation. Assess. Don't immediately jump into a project without a plan of attack. Observe, decide on a course of action then attack.

Don’t take on too much

You can't control the number of problems that come your way in Arkham. The game is the game. But you can control the way you play it. I spent some time in the challenge levels learning to effectively use the tools at hand. Practice eliminated one problem. It eliminated my lack of skill.

Games have a fixed number of problems to solve. Life on the other hand will gleefully just keep dumping new problems on you until you are neck deep. Sometimes the best you can do is to not create new problems for yourself.

Don't take on too many projects. With too many projects and too many problems, your attention becomes diverted. Don't be afraid to turn down a project.

Attack the tasks based on priorities

Focus on the steps leading to the goal, not the end goal. You can't get into the locked room to save the civilian if you don't first slow down and look for a grate to tear off the wall.

I find that I procrastinate the worst when I try to tackle the biggest problem. When I face a large pile of work, the size of the pile can overwhelm me and push me to push it off. So I prioritize. Tackle the tasks one by one. You could start with the simplest or the most immediate problem. Attacking that problem reduces the size of the pile and with each finished task the pile shrinks and becomes easier to face.

Focus is the key to finishing your work
and saving Gotham

Develop Your Discipline With Simple Exercises

Developing Discipline

The aim of developing discipline is to foster positive traits within yourself. This is achieved through time and effort. Don't expect it to happen overnight.

But you've already taken the first step. Now all you have to do is keep going. Don't stop. Don't give up. You'll get there.

Some Qualities of a Disciplined Person

perseverance
restraint
endurance
achievement
forethought
execution
will
focus
devotion
self-mastery
strength
self-control

Establish a Routine

Set a Goal

I set myself the goal of getting into shape. To achieve my goal, I needed to exercise and I needed to do it regularly. I needed to change my habits by eliminating bad ones and developing good ones.

Once I decided that I wanted to make this change, I started exercising immediately. I did not delay a minute. I got to work.  I didn't do much the first day but I started. After setting a goal, the most important thing is to start working towards that goal.

Train to Succeed

I had to train my body. I also had to train myself to stick to my training routine. I had to train myself to ignore the discouraging voice and focus.

I exercise every night. When I started on this path, I stumbled and I slacked off. But I let my failures push me to work harder to succeed.

Commit

I committed to my goal. I recommitted over and over. I took action in service of my goal. I found tools that helped me.

I created a log in a spreadsheet to keep track. Each day, I see what I accomplished the previous day. I push myself to build on successes and make up for failures. As much as I've committed to exercising, I've also committed to filling out my log every day. I've tried other methods like setting a schedule of when I would exercise and for how long or using an app. But those methods weren't right for me so I dropped them.

Level Up

Life is like a computer game, only no reset. There are levels and little rewards to gather along the way. Each victory opens the door to new challenges. After I started cutting out bad foods, I had the challenge of incorporating healthy foods into my diet.

There are always opportunities to gain little rewards. In Lego Batman, there are studs. A single stud is not much much but they add up to great rewards. You just need to take the time to collect them.

Set limitations

In addition to goals to achieve, consider setting personal limitations. These small sacrifices can be the keys to achieving the greatest rewards. Limitations are commitments. You are committing to not do something.

I set a limitation, I cut out deserts. At first this felt like a great sacrifice but it wasn't. I  knew I would feel better without the junk in my life. Deserts were just a deeply ingrained habit that I had spent years reinforcing. I would walk down the candy and cookie aisle in the supermarket and feel a craving. I felt ridiculous and weak but I wasn't weak. I honored the commitment I had made. In time the craving went away. I have never regretted my choice.

 

Be the Mission

I wanted to be in shape. I didn't have a number, I had a feeling. When I was out of shape, I didn't feel like myself. I was really sick and tired of not liking how I felt. I desperately wanted to feel like myself. I did the work and now I feel more myself than I ever did before.

Bonus Level

Create a new mission. Set new goals and commit to them. Decide the destination you want to reach and take the steps.

So, I'm still working on discipline. I have accomplished many goals since getting into shape but I have so many more goals to reach.

For me, my mission has never been about transforming into someone new. It's always been about being and becoming more myself.

Develop a Good Habit

To reach my goal, I committed to exercise daily. After that, I made new commitments and stuck to them.

Start with a light exercise to create a good habit. Pick one good thing you can do. Commit and make time to do it. By creating one good habit and sticking to it, you have proven that you are a disciplined person. That is what disciplined people do.

Ideas for Habits

1. Pick up pennies (You could imagine you're playing Super Mario Brothers)
2. Make your bed every morning
3. Write a 1000 words per day
4. Do the dishes every night (It's nice waking to a clean kitchen)
5. Study any subject for 30 minutes per night
6. Read one chapter of a book a day