Universities across the globe are increasingly trying to incorporate technology into students’ daily lives. With students’ attention spans rapidly declining, and the obstacle of procrastination becoming ever so prevalent, creator and developer Milton Ren thinks he could have the next big thing with his new Pokémon-inspired multiplayer app that dropped earlier this year.
The app, called ‘Focumon,’ is a play on the words “focus” and “Pokémon” to encapsulate the app’s main goal. It is a gamified productivity app that turns everyday tasks into a multiplayer adventure using a Pomodoro-style system.
“The app spawned from a desire from the founder to cater to people struggling with ADHD, but it has grown to help anyone be more productive,” said marketing professional and member of the Focumon team Jefferyi Magtubo in an email.
By completing work or study sessions, users can collect and level up over 100 virtual creatures called Focumon. The app aims to motivate users to stay focused by offering immediate feedback and rewards through these digital creatures, similar to an idle Pokémon game in which users can collect, level up and evolve cute monsters. It adds a reward layer to work to give the user an initial push to focus.
Focumon also supports collaborative productivity, where users can join others in focus sessions and “battle bosses” together, creating a social, engaging way to tackle goals, according to a press release.
The app is structured around “The Third Time / Flowmodoro” system, a new and slightly-tweaked version of the Pomodoro method, which breaks up work into concentrated intervals—however long the user feels necessary. Work is then followed by a brief rest period that differs depending on the length of the work being done.
“Instead of half-working all day, it’s better to work in focused stints, with breaks in between to recover,” said Magtubo. Magutbo added that the technique’s flexible style can provide one with a feeling of control, and for those who struggle with ADHD, who frequently have time blindness or have trouble seeing and measuring time effectively. This model is beneficial to help them.
At the heart of this new indie productivity tool is a small three-person team spearheaded by Ren. Ren is helped by designer Yana, the artist behind some of the graphics and the creatures for Focumon and Magtubo, who according to the focumon website, contributes significantly to the creation of instructional materials and blog posts about gamified efficiency techniques on the Focumon blog. One of his notable contributions is writing about the Flowmodoro technique.
Instead of half-working all day, it’s better to work in focused stints, with breaks in between to recover.
Jefferyi Magtubo, Marketing Professional and Focumon Team Member via email
According to the press release, Ren worked with organizations like Persona and Amazon Web Services before launching Focumon, where he obtained significant experience in developing and growing products like identity verification systems and worldwide data synchronization services. Ren said that he took on the challenge of releasing nine software products in nine months in 2023, which improved his knowledge of various markets and the gamification process.
Milton had trouble maintaining his motivation and concentration when performing everyday responsibilities, which led to the creation of Focumon, according to the press release. His goal was to develop a platform that transformed work from a chore into a pleasurable activity. The press release also stated that Milton said he created Focumon to provide users with an enjoyable and encouraging atmosphere where they may work toward goals at their own pace, based on his knowledge of gamification.
Product Hunt, an American website created to share and discover new products, has Focumon rated 5/5 stars with three reviews and 647 followers. Despite the lack of a stand-alone mobile app, users can download the app at focumon.com/app to install it on their phones or go to focumon.com to try it out on a computer.
The app is free to download and use, with zero content hidden behind paywalls. According to the press release, a mobile app for the App Store and Google Play is reportedly in the works, as the app is still in its early stages and many new changes and improvements are yet to come.
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