There is one thing that stops most people from achieving their goals – the ability to focus. Most people fail to achieve their goals because somewhere along the line, they lose focus. They got distracted and then they stop taking action, and eventually, they give up on their goals.
Does this sound familiar to you? Or is this happening to you?
If you often lose focus on your goals, don’t worry.
In this guide, I’m going to share with you the 3 simple techniques you can use to prevent yourself from losing focus on your goals.
Improving your ability to focus on your goals, stick to your plan, and make progress despite all distractions is one of the most valuable skills to succeed.
These techniques are simple, but not easy to implement. It will take some time and effort to develop your ability to focus and concentrate on working on your desire. So, here are the 3 simple techniques that can prevent you from losing focus on your goals…
1. Commit to the One Thing
Yes, achieving outstanding success and reaching your goal may not be an easy task. And so you want to make sure you focus fully on just ONE goal at a time.
Too often, many people make the mistake and believe that the more goals they have, the better. This is wrong.
The same goes for your to-do list. It doesn’t mean that the more you have on your to-do list, the more productive you are.
If you have more than 10 tasks on your to-do list, it simply means that you don’t know how to prioritize. You have no idea how to follow Pareto’s 80/20 Rule.
More is not always merrier.
Once, researchers conducted an experiment about the choices of jams and the number of sales. They discovered that the more choices of jams they provided for shoppers, the fewer sales they got. They called it The Jam Experiment, you can read it here.
The more options you have, the less likely you can focus better.
Therefore, focus on just ONE.
Just like this best-selling book, The ONE Thing suggested, focus on doing just one thing at a time.
When you try to catch 2 rabbits at the same time, you won’t catch either one.
Action Steps:
If you always find it hard to focus on your goals, try to commit to the principle of the ONE thing. Identify your most important goal and work on it. If there is a long list of actionable steps, apply the same principle – identify the most impactful task (just one) and then work on it.
Use this principle across every area of your life. Start with your goals. What is the ONE most important goal you want to achieve right now? Decide, and then focus monomaniacally on it.
If you still have no idea how to implement this principle, just follow The 90-90-1 Rule.
2. Start With One Small Step
Yes, as I said, these techniques are simple to apply, but they are not easy to follow. The second technique you can use to prevent yourself from losing focus on your goals is this – commit to taking small steps.
Success isn’t going to happen overnight. And obviously, success isn’t going to come to you with just one decision/action.
Success is the accumulation of many small steps.
Imagine if you take only 5 little actions every day, in a week, you will have completed 35 small action steps. And in a month, you will have created 150 small wins. In a year, you will have accomplished 1,825 small victories.
And I’m sure these 1,825 small victories added up will change your life in a big way. Don’t you think?
That’s exactly how Dale Carnegie came up with the book that has sold over 30 million copies across the world. How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the best-selling books of all time.
But do you know how Carnegie managed to get the book published?
At first, Carnegie was preparing a talk and he needed materials for the talk. And so he created a set of rules printed on a card no larger than a postcard for his audience. Then his audience grew and he needed something ‘better’. And so he turned the card into a larger card, then a leaflet, then a series of booklets, each expanding in size and scope.
15 years later, the materials for his talks turned into a full-length book, called How to Win Friends and Influence People. It all started small. You can read about his inspiring story here.
Take a look at this picture below and you will understand why it is important to start small…
I know, you were told to dream big and to set big goals, and there is nothing wrong with that. You want to dream big and have big goals to inspire you.
But when it comes to execution and action, you should start small.
Action Steps:
Always start small. Every big success was once started small. If you want to avoid losing focus on your goals, then start small.
You don’t have to commit to doing 100 push-ups every day, it will only make you suffer. Instead, commit to doing a minimum number such as 30 push-ups every day, and then increase gradually.
You don’t have to write 100 blog posts or create 100 videos for your YouTube channel, you just need to get one done as of this moment.
When you focus on getting started and taking small steps, it lowers the resistance, and you are more likely to take action. And this will ultimately prevent you from losing your focus on your goals.
3. Focus on Making Progress, Not Result
The third method is to focus on progress, not results. This is one of the most important distinctions between someone successful and someone who is not.
Successful people understand that progress is key, not results. They just want to get the work done and push forward.
On the contrary, unsuccessful people focus only on getting the result. Whenever they don’t get the result they want, they feel bad, frustrated, and lose their motivation, which eventually makes them give up on their goals.
Let me give you an example. I have seen many bloggers who wanted to build a successful blog. But all they do is focus on the result – traffic, subscribers, earnings, etc.
They write and publish a few blog posts, but after a few weeks or months later, when they don’t get the result they desire (traffic, subscribers, earnings, etc.), they tend to lose hope.
They then lose their motivation to continue, and they quit on their goal. Never let this happen to you.
The same with people who want to lose weight or start a YouTube channel. When you focus on the result, and when you are not getting any, you will feel dejected. And you will lose your motivation and so with your focus.
This is why you want to commit to making progress, not result.
James Clear, the best-selling author of Atomic Habits said it well. He said when he first started his blog, he was committed to publishing 2 articles per week, every Tuesday and Thursday.
Regardless of whether people read his articles, it didn’t matter. He just wanted to make progress. Sometimes his articles were good, and sometimes they were just so-so.
And as he consistently published on his blog, his audience grew, his number of subscribers grew, he built a large audience, and eventually, published a best-selling book that changes life. Atomic Habits is one of the top books on my recommended reading list. You should get the book and read it right away.
The same thing happened to me and this blog. I started this blog in 2015 and since then, I have been publishing consistently, every week, for over 5 years now.
This blog, StunningMotivation.com has grown from the ground to having over 1,000 visits per day. All of this would not be possible if I focus only on just the result. Instead, I commit to making progress.
I published every week, whether it rains or snows (it doesn’t snow in Malaysia), whether I feel like it or not, I just write and hit publish.
Of course, some days, my articles are good, but most days, they are just so-so. I just want to make progress and publish. I don’t put my focus on the traffic, subscribers, or the earnings my blog receives.
This is how I grow this blog, through taking one small step at a time and working on it consistently.
These 3 techniques have helped me prevent losing my focus on my goals. And I believe if you apply these methods, you too, can maintain your focus and reach your goals, slowly, but surely.
Hello Sir, Thank you so much for publishing a great article. It helped me focus on my goal. These 3 techniques are essential for prevent from Losing Focus on Goal.