Pokémon GO might be the most interesting thing to happen to business (and families) since the announcement of the first iPhone.
Like the iPhone, although skeleton versions of similar technology may have existed, Pokemon Go created a mainstream multi-billion-dollar industry and a new way to connect with people around you in an “Internet minute.”
Nintendo’s stock soared. Businesses were born specifically targeted at supporting players. Others used Pokémon GO to promote existing businesses.
Families spent more time together, which is awesome, taking walks together to play. (I recently started taking daily walks with my kids and it’s been incredible for my family.)
The list goes on and it’s fascinating.
Of course, there are negative personal and business implications, just like there are with many new developments like this, because criminals are always interested in exploiting new technologies and consumer tendencies, too.
But this post is not about those positive or negative experiences we’ve all seen across our newsfeeds. This is about something different.
Specifically, although Pokémon GO teaches us several things about people and business (and here’s a probably not-so-bold prediction that we’ll see multiple college courses dedicated exclusively to studying the Pokémon GO craze within the next 18 months), the thing I want to start a productive discussion about here is this:
Pokemon Go exposed a lie that many people tell every single day in their personal and professional lives.
So what’s the lie?
I have no time.
Pokémon GO didn’t even exist a short while ago. It was released in the United States on July 6, 2016. Within days, millions of people had downloaded it and found plenty of time to play. In fact, on Monday, July 11, 2016, the average iOS user spent more time playing Pokémon GO, 33.4 minutes, than they did using either Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or Instagram.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a fact.
Of course, it’s possible that none of those people ever complained of not having enough time, but perhaps a few of us can raise our hands as guilty of both complaining about not having enough time and then finding time to do something (maybe even Pokémon GO) that we didn’t even know existed shortly before.
Millions of people found time to play Pokémon GO. Again, there is nothing wrong with finding time to play Pokémon GO, especially if it adds value or brings joy and benefits to you or your business.
But that playing time didn’t magically appear. You created it by choosing to do less of something else. I don’t know what, but you’re doing less of something else. Whether that is spending less time sitting on the couch, or playing video games, or reading books, or working overtime, or going for walks without the app open, or anything else, the time you made to play Pokémon GO means you’re doing less of something else.
So we’re all bad people?
No, not at all. It’s just that the craze shows us that, in the bigger scheme of things, the statement that we don’t have any time to do something, to change our lives for the better, one tiny step at a time, is not true.
It’s a lie. It might not be a lie that we say to cause harm to or deceive others, but in the big picture it’s not true. Sure, there are days where we have committed to things that we must do and there is literally no time to do more. But overall, we can all do something to make a baby step towards building momentum towards a meaningful change in our lives.
So what’s the takeaway?
The Pokémon GO craze exposed the lie many of us say on a daily basis that we don’t have time to make positive changes in our lives and the lives of those around us.
That’s a good thing because it allows us to have this conversation about how we are utilizing our time, a conversation that is a great first step towards recognizing lower value activities in our lives and replacing them with activities that make tomorrow a little better than today.
Do you play Pokémon GO? If so, how much time do you generally spend playing it? How has it brought joy or value to your life?
And, most relevant to this discussion, what do you do less of because of it?
