8 Strategies for Staying Focused on Your Goals

Do you ever wonder why you can’t accomplish your goals?  After all, you have the all the right skills.  And you know exactly what steps you need to take to succeed.  Nevertheless, you can’t get to the finish line.  Why?  It is because you aren’t staying focused on your goals.

Admittedly, staying focused is hard.  Life is full of distractions.  Every day, we battle with the television and the Internet, both of which are trying to consume all our free time.  In addition, we have to fight our own inner urges to sit on the couch and just do nothing! 

Although staying focused on our goals is hard, it is doable.  The key is to have strategies to stay focused, even when you’d rather binge watch the latest Netflix series or surf the Internet. 

Below are strategies to stay focused.  Try adopting them and see your biggest goals come to pass!

Run Your Own Race

One of the biggest reasons why we lose our focus is that we are too busy comparing ourselves to others.  When we compare ourselves to others, we lose sight of our goal.  Instead, we spend our time worrying about why we aren’t doing as well as others. 

Realize that comparing yourself to others is a massive waste of time.  The best advice I can give you in life is this: Run your own race.  Don’t worry about what other people are doing.  Instead, focus on using your God-given talents to reach your highest potential.

For example, let’s say that your best friend has a great career.  If you aren’t as far along as you’d like to be professionally, don’t spend your time feeling badly because you aren’t as successful as your friend.  Instead, run your own race. 

Comparing your life to someone else’s is pointless.  You don’t have anyone else’s skills and talents.  You have your own, and they are great!  Focus on using those gifts and talents to make your special mark on the world.

Make Your Goal A Part of Your Daily Schedule

Your personal goals are important.  Treat them as such.  Don’t put them on the back burner.  Don’t work toward your goals only when you happen to have a free moment.  Instead, treat your personal goals as the most important thing that you do each day.

In order to make your goals a top priority, they need to be on your schedule, like any other appointment.  For example, if your personal goal is to lose weight, put your daily workout time on your schedule as an appointment that is set in stone. 

Treat your goals with the same level of importance as your job or a doctor’s appointment.  Give them the same focus that you would give any other important task.

Visualize Your End Result

A great way to stay focused on a goal is to regularly visualize your end result.  Spend some time each day thinking about what your life will look like once you’ve accomplished that goal.  How will your daily life improve?

When you have a clear picture of how your life will change after you’ve achieved your goal, it becomes much easier to stay motivated and focused on that goal.  Then, you aren’t just working toward accomplishing a specific task.  You are working toward changing your life in some meaningful way. 

Don’t Sweat the Details

So often, we struggle with staying focused on our goals because we get overwhelmed.  We worry about how we are going to get from where we are today to our end result.  To stay focused on achieving your goal, the key is not to sweat the details.

Specifically, you shouldn’t fret about how exactly your dreams will come to pass.  The reality is that most goals are not achieved in a straight line.  Instead, when we work toward our goals, there will be obstacles in our path.  And there also will be unexpected surprises that push us forward.

Of course, you should have a game plan for what you will do each day to move yourself closer to your goal.  But don’t worry about how precisely you will accomplish your goal.  Instead, realize that the journey will have surprises along the way.  Just stay focused on the big picture goal, and enjoy the journey of bringing it to fruition.

Ignore the Naysayers

It is hard to stay focused on a goal when folks are trying to discourage you.  Some people may tell you that your goal will be impossible to achieve.  Others may say that you don’t have what it takes to succeed.  To stay focused, you have to put on your blinders and ignore the naysayers.

Realize that anyone who has achieved anything great has had to face naysayers.  And every one of those people has had to say, “Thanks for your opinion, but I’m going for it anyway.” 

I shudder to think of how many great inventions have not been created because of the naysayers.  Or how many talented artists and musicians have not blessed the world with their talents because of the naysayers.

The naysayers are powerful.  They have the ability to distract you from achieving your goal with a simple comment.  For instance, I know lots of people who say, “If you haven’t achieved your goal by 30 (or 40 or 50), then you can forget it.”  (Tell that to Joe Biden, who just achieved his goal of becoming POTUS at age 78.)

So, don’t allow the naysayers to distract you.  Ignore them and stay focused on achieving your greatest dreams.

Limit Your Internet and Television Time

The Internet and television are terrific inventions.  They have the power to both entertain and inform.  But they also are massive distractions that can cause you to lose your focus.

The key to achieving your goals is to not let the Internet and television take up too much of your time.  Admittedly, that is easier said than done.  I find the best way to control my Internet and television time is to use them only when I absolutely need a mental break or when I’m exercising.

For instance, I’ll watch a television show when I ride my exercise bike.  Or I’ll listen to a podcast while walking the dog.  And I might catch up on the news on the Internet when I need a mental break from work.  But otherwise, I try not to allow tv shows or the Internet to distract me when I could be working towards my bigger life goals.

So, to stay focused on your goals, develop some self-control when it comes to the Internet and television.  Use them to give yourself a mental break, but otherwise, spend your time pushing your goals forward.

Stay Focused on Your Goals by Weaving Them into Your Life

I am a big believer in taking a holistic approach to any goal.  To take a holistic approach, your goal should be woven into all parts of your life.  By doing so, you can stay most focused on your goal.

For instance, let’s say that your goal is to become a good cook.  Don’t just take a cooking class.  Make cooking your passion.  Read books about cooking.  Watch shows featuring the best chefs.  Go to restaurants and try different cuisines.  Then try to replicate your favorite restaurant dishes at home.  You might even discuss cooking techniques with friends and family who have a knack for cooking.

The key is to weave your goal into all aspects of your life.   Become an expert in whatever you are trying to do.  When your goal becomes your passion in life, staying focused to achieve your goal is easy!

Get Enough Sleep

If you want to become a highly focused person, the most important thing that you can do is to get enough sleep.  It is impossible to concentrate when you aren’t well-rested.

The key to getting enough sleep is to have good habits.  That means not drinking caffeine two hours before you go to sleep.  It also means not looking at screens (the Internet, television and phone kind) one hour before bedtime.

And it also requires you to relax your mind before going to bed.  That can be accomplished through meditation, prayer, or quietly reading a positive book or article. 

When we get enough sleep at night, then we more easily can be alert and focused during the day.

Consider using the above approaches for staying focused on your goals.  If you apply them, you’ll be surprised by how much more you accomplish each day, and how much quicker you achieve your biggest goals. (To read more about developing your focus and self-discipline, click here.)