Tips on Improving Focus So You Can Achieve Your Goals

Some people are fans of sticky notes. Others love cloud-based tools like Evernote. Some keep ‘em stored in their brains.

Regardless of where you keep your list of goals, you have to take steps forward if you want to actually achieve them. That means improving focus and zeroing in on those goals—intentionally. Not passively. Not whenever you feel like it. On purpose.

Need a refresher course on a few ways you can start improving focus so you can achieve your goals? You’re in luck. Some of the tips we’ve gathered may be new ideas for you, and some might make you think, “Oh yeah! I should do that more!”

Let’s dive right in.

Limit Your Number of Goals

Business owners have a tendency to want to do it all—but when it comes to goal setting, you need to consciously limit yourself. Set too many goals for yourself, and you’re destined to fail.

Instead, try to establish goals that you can achieve within the period of a quarter or two. These short to mid-term goals keep your focus razor sharp, and from fading into oblivion like long-term goals can.

Also: Don’t switch until you’ve accomplished them, either. Post a reminder in plain sight that you can refer to so they’re always top of mind.

Take Care of Yourself

It seems like a ‘duh’ thing, but if you’re in poor physical shape (not sleeping well, not eating well, rarely exercising), it’s going to be hard to improve your focus. Even caffeine can be more harmful than you think. The lack of physical wellness is a constant distraction from your goals.

Don’t treat your body like a rental car—take care of it. After all, it is what makes it possible for you to run your business and achieve your goals at all. Most of us have at least 15 minutes a day that we can devote to some form of exercise, and the eating and sleeping improvements are an easy fix. Make it a priority to feel better.

Get Clear

Clarity is essential for goal achievement. Without it, how are you supposed to know what to do? You get 20 free minutes to focus on your goals, but you’re scrambling to figure out where to begin—and the minutes slip away.

Define the what and why of your goals and evaluate in the moment what the most important thing you can do RIGHT NOW is—and then do that first.

Make a Plan

An action plan helps you properly prioritize your tasks and illuminates the steps you need to take to get to your goal. It doesn’t have to be a highly detailed plan, but set some benchmarks that allow you to track progress. Once you reach one benchmark, you can think about the next one.

Do basketball teams function without a plan? Do businesses grow without a plan in place? Nope. There’s always strategy behind success. You need a plan, too.

Make Time for Working on Your Goals

Put time on your calendar for focusing on your goals. I’m serious. Schedule it just like any other task—and you won’t have an excuse to push it to the side. Block off a period of time on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis purely for goals, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you reach them.

Be Persistent

Dogged persistence pays off. Stick with your goals, and keep pushing forward until you reach them. In business especially, some of the best moments come when you keep going past the point of comfort and break through to the other side.