5 Tips to Stay Focused on Your Goals

It's late January and our New Year's resolutions are [hopefully] still on our minds. Developing new habits is an arduous process. As you read in a previous blog, I have made resolutions myself. To keep myself on track I have adopted new techniques. I am happy to say that they have worked! Here, are my 5 tips to stay focused.

1. Think of yourself as an employee in a business called, "your life." Your goals are pieces of what you envision your best self to look like. Take that image of your best self, and call them boss. Now, you are both the boss and the employee. Take a business-minded approach to your goals. Envision your result and develop a plan. Be very specific with your steps, and allot appropriate time for them. Check in with yourself daily, weekly, or monthly to have a candid review of your status on your goals. Are you performing like a good employee would? Are you making progress? What areas are you doing well? Which areas need improvement? Be honest with yourself to kick your butt back into gear when need be.

clears throat*

YES!

2. Schedule your rest days and take them as seriously as your work days. Rest is vital and allows for better performance on work days. After you have done the grind, your off day will taste even sweeter. Make them sacred. Make them special. Plan something to look forward to on your rest day, so you feel like you are working towards a mini weekend. My favorite rest day activities include an at-home spa-day with a face mask, reading a book, or catching a chai latte at a cafe.

3. Have an incentive that you only allow yourself to enjoy while working on your goals. Let me explain this one with what gets me to the gym on days I don't want to. My workouts are 30 min of weights then 30 min of cardio, and during my cardio, I read on my Kindle. Especially when I have a good book, I am eager to go to the gym so I can read my next chapter (Follow me on Goodreads to see what I'm reading). If you don't have a Kindle, all you need is your phone and earbuds to enjoy an audiobook or podcast (My favorite podcast is "Stuff You Missed in History Class"). Have Netflix? Reserve a series you love only to be watched while on the elliptical or stair stepper (We are watching "Peaky Blinders" right now). Music is a great way to get motivated as well if your workout can't afford a visual distraction. Keep the music fresh to avoid getting bored. Need new music? Follow the Spotify playlist I listen to to get energized. These ideas to find the motivation to go to the gym can be applied to other goals as well. Have your favorite tea when you study a new language or read a book. Put your favorite fruit or veggie on your salad for lunch. Find a creative way to make your task more appealing.

4. Recruit help. Taking on a goal by yourself may seem like a daunting and lonely journey. When it comes to that moment when you feel like giving up, you will need someone to turn to. It can be professional help like a coach, trainer, or counselor. It can be a gathering like a study group or book club. Or, recruit a friend who has a similar goal. These people that you surround yourself with will keep you accountable and give you support in difficult times. These relationships will also encourage a stronger bond between you and your goals. This year, I have the help of a health coach. Sarah is a friend I met while traveling and she is providing me with weekly check-ins with motivation to stay on track. It makes a difference knowing that I have someone who is invested in my journey.

5. Use a journal to track your progress. You have probably heard this method before. I had too, and never thought much of it, until I tried it. My health coach, Sarah, requested I keep a journal to document my process. So, I Pinterested "bullet journals" and grabbed my markers (I'm an art major; things have to look pretty). Filling out my schedule, by hand, gave my commitment another level of depth. It sounds silly, but I experience a wave of satisfaction when I get to tick a box off or fill in a piece of a pie-chart marking I did my task for the day/week. It also makes it visually evident when I don't meet my goals. If a box is left unchecked, It kicks me into high gear for the next opportunity I have to fulfill it.

Thank you very much for reading. If you haven't given up on your goals yet, congratulations! You made it past "Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day" on January 17th. Woohoo! I hope that one of these can help you on your path to achieving your New Year's resolution. What helps keep you focused and driven? I want to hear your tips!