Have you ever set out on a hike with the goal of getting to the top to see the sunrise? If you spend too much time taking snack breaks or snapping pictures along the way, you’ll miss the chance to witness the sun first peaking over the mountains. While the breaks you took might have felt important, they caused you to miss out on your goals.  

Let’s be honest, distractions happen, and it’s incredibly easy to get off track. However, if you’re ever going to achieve your goals, you must keep them top of mind. So, what should you do when you can’t seem to focus? Read our strategies for ensuring your goals always remain a priority.  

Start the day with a dose of goal setting.  

Stay in control of your day rather than letting it get away from you. Begin each morning by looking over your calendar, preparing for what’s to come, and creating a to-do list that you can get started on right away. If you’re able to check a few items off quickly, you’ll gain momentum and be ready to tackle larger tasks in no time. Organizing your tasks will help you to think more clearly as you get started on your goals. Categorize your goals into three sections: 

• Daily to-dos: What do you need to accomplish today?  
• Monthly must-completes: What are your bigger plans that you want to start and end before the month’s over? 
• Annual achievements: What are your large, ambitious goals that you’ll need to break down to get done? Even if they seem a little scary, write them down!   

Create visual reminders.  

Once you’ve established your goals, remind yourself of them throughout the day. Goals aren’t something that you write on a paper and fold up into your wallet. Display them proudly on a whiteboard in your home office. Leave yourself sticky note reminders on your bathroom mirror and car dashboard. Make notes of your deadlines in your calendar. Include smaller benchmark goals to hold yourself responsible and ask your friends and family to hold you accountable to your goals, too.  

Set yourself up for success.  

Create a positive environment that encourages productivity! If you accomplish many of your goals from a home office, for instance, spend time in the doorway assessing how the room makes you feel.  

• Remove clutter. A more organized and less chaotic area frees up space in your office (and your head) for more important things.  
• Add plants. Incorporating natural greenery is shown to improve air quality, reduce headaches, boost your mood, and more.
• Re-arrange furniture. Increase your creativity and enhance your willingness to make other positive changes when you reconfigure your room.
• Improve lighting. Opening windows, softening harsh lights, or adding eclectic lamps inject energy and interest into your space.

Reflect on your goals.  

Schedule time in your calendar to analyze and reflect on your goals and your progress in achieving them. If your objectives have changed, adjust them. If you’re procrastinating on your goals because you’re scared of them … don’t be! Let that fear drive you to tackle them knowing that facing your fears is a fantastic way to propel you forward. Then, embrace your newly edited goals and keep the momentum going. Find ways to celebrate your accomplishments so that you want to complete even more!

Likely, when you first made your goals, you were enthusiastic and ready to start checking them off, right away. Unfortunately, it’s normal for your motivation to start to waver after the initial excitement wears off. With the above strategies in place, we hope you’ll maintain your momentum and continue making progress on your goals, every day.   

Is one of your goals to become a better friend? Learn how to build better relationships, here.