Do you need help staying focused? Many people have expressed concern about their focus since the pandemic.
It is easy to make goals and set out with good intentions for a project, but it is sometimes difficult to stay focused when life throws unexpected events and tasks into your already busy daily routine. Life can quickly become exhausting, and you lose your focus.
Ways to Stay Focused
Don’t give up! Here’s some advice about how to stay focused on your goals when things become chaotic.
1. Learn To Revel In The Process
When it comes to meeting your goals, it’s not always about the end result. Most of the personal growth happens during the process, anyway. The next time you feel defeated about not achieving a goal in a timely manner, remind yourself that the process is equally and sometimes more important than the result.
2. Put Your Goals on Display
One way to ensure that you stay focused on your goals is to create a “goal board.” You might want to make a detailed bulletin board if you’re more creative. This can simply be a piece of paper, though.
The point is to hang it somewhere you spend a fair amount of time, like your office. Make it your own – maybe you want to make a list of action steps and cross off each one you complete (send five resumes this week), or perhaps you’re someone who is motivated by inspirational quotes of others. Either way, shifting your focus to a tangible display is a great way to hold yourself accountable for meeting your goals.
3. Complete Action Steps Early In The Day
With everything going on in our lives, motivation tends to fade throughout the day. To ensure that you’re meeting your action steps, the best thing you can do is get them out of the way. If you work full time and your goals pertain to your personal life, when you get home from work, try to tackle at least one thing on your list before you sit down to watch TV or scroll the internet. This way, you can spend the rest of your evening relaxing and preparing for the next day. By completing one task, you might be motivated to do more.
4. Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
Multi-tasking may seem like a marketable talent, but the truth is, when you multi-task, you might get more quantity but much less quality. You also have a higher chance of overwhelming yourself when your mind says, ” You have to do this before you do that, but while you’re waiting for this, you can start working on the other thing.” Stop worrying about this, that, and the other thing, and focus on just one thing at a time. When one thing is completed, then tackle the next. If this is difficult for you, you might want to read “The One Thing.”
5. Have Someone Hold You Accountable
The best way to stay focused on your goals is to have someone to hold you accountable. Recruit a buddy or two or work with a coach. When others get excited about the process, chances are you will too. When others work with you towards the same goals, you can share and celebrate successes, vent about woes, and, most importantly, keep each other accountable and focused.
When working with a coach, their focus is keeping you accountable. While friends are great, they are also worrying about their own stuff. A coach can be more focused on your success while holding you accountable. They also have motivational strategies to help you continue on your track to success.
6. Remind Yourself Why You Want It
When you’re starting to get discouraged or overwhelmed, remind yourself why you took on this goal or project in the first place. Imagine your life after you meet the goal or complete the project. What were you lacking before you started the process? If you feel like you’re working towards nothing, consider taking on a new goal that means more to you. Sometimes thinking is just as important, if not more important, than doing.
7. Eat Healthy
Eating foods that will keep your brain nourished and help you focus is essential. Junk food will only help to create brain fog, and that is the last thing you need when you want to focus.
8. Exercise
When you have a lot on your plate, cutting the exercise time to get more work done is easy. Exercising not only helps your body but helps to clear your mind. Most people find they can focus better if they include some exercise in their day. Even simple stretches help.
9. Don’t Lose Sleep Over It
I mean this both literally and figuratively. First, your sleep is absolutely crucial. A lack of sleep leads to many unwanted consequences, so if you work into the early hours of the morning, consider getting some rest and picking back up the following day. The quality of your work will improve with more sleep. A routine bedtime schedule also helps you focus and keep you at your best.
If working towards your goals stresses you out to the point that you’re losing sleep, perhaps they aren’t the most desirable goals. Take a step back, think about what you’re working toward, and determine whether or not the stress is worth it. If you need to take a break, do so. You’ll come back to it refreshed, rejuvenated, and refocused.
No matter your goals – getting a new job, a promotion, shedding pounds, writing a book, saving money, growing your business, eliminating harmful habits, etc. – it’s easy to lose focus and resort to old routines. Before you decide to give up, try one or all of these nine tips!
I Am Here To Help
I would love to speak with you to determine if I can help you accomplish your goals. If you need guidance on your career, I am here to help. If you find yourself in a situation where you need career advice or support and want to talk about planning for your future, reach out to me, Rachel Schneider, at Career Find, for a free Intro Call.