How To Focus On Your Goals Even In Difficult Times

Do you often lose focus on your goals when problems get in the way? How you focus on your goals even in difficult times can be a significant indicator of whether you will succeed or not.

Focus is a key ingredient in bringing our goals into reality because it pushes us to persevere even when life gets tough. I learned this the hard way, thinking that passion and talent were enough to succeed.

Prior to Shifting Psyche, I used to jump from one blog site to another and fail at my goals because my focus was weak. Whenever I start on a new project, the first two weeks go smoothly, but then a problem appears like a family member getting sick. I would compromise working on my goals to take care of the situation and eventually end up losing momentum.

Problems happen whether we like it or not. We cannot just tell the universe ‘I am working on my dreams, please don’t send me challenges’. Life always tests our willpower and endurance to know whether we deserve our dreams. If our focus is not standing on solid rock, difficult times can easily get into us and pull us away from fulfilling our goals.

Don’t let difficult times control you and improve your focus instead. Here are 9 tips on how to focus on your goals even in difficult times.

9 Tips On How To Focus On Your Goals

1. Have a strong and crystal clear purpose.

A strong and clear purpose creates an unwavering focus on our goals. Take time to think about your goals, your purpose, and how it will impact your life and the lives of other people. Be intentional and a little bit crazy over your whys because it is what will ground you in difficult times.

Sit on it or even walk through it, and ask yourself the following questions: 

• What is my goal?
• Why am I doing this for myself? And for other people?
• What is this goal all about?

Repeat this self-interrogation until your purpose becomes clear and strong.

Looking back on my failed attempts at blogging, none of them started with a clear purpose. It was only in Shifting Psyche that I intentionally spent time asking myself these questions. It took me about two months of self-talk and introspection until I felt a strong connection between myself and my purpose.

Setting a crystal clear purpose early on in the course of fulfilling my goals gave me unshakable focus even after giving birth, taking care of a newborn (and my eldest who has special needs), and managing postpartum blues.

Having a clear purpose needs time, effort, and intentionality. A purpose is born in the heart and gets clear with the mind.

2. Write down your purpose, vision, and action steps.

Write down your purpose, vision, and action steps before they slip away from your mind. This also allows you to revise and improve them over time.

Another benefit of writing down your goals is it projects your thoughts into physical form. Seeing your goals on paper strengthens focus and reminds us of our higher calling when problems discourage us.

Write down your ideas as much as you can. Be a little obsessive in thinking about your goals because the more you do, the more your brain will interpret it as part of your regular days. If you don’t have a pen and paper with you, use your mobile phone to take notes, and rewrite it on paper later on.

3. Do small things and do it every day.

Focus is a mental skill that does not occur overnight. You need to be consistent in doing goal-related tasks. In your action plan, narrow down tasks into smaller chunks that are doable in your daily schedule.

For example, I dedicate three days for drafting an article, one day for editing, one day for graphics and images, and another day for layout design and publishing. I usually work on these smaller tasks for two hours each day because that’s what my current situation allows me to do.

It is better to do smaller tasks and do them every day than work for two whole days and do nothing for the rest of the week. Consistency in small things is what builds a strong and long-lasting focus.

4. Train yourself to be consistent and disciplined.

Another tip to focus on your goals is to be consistent and disciplined. Aside from doing small things every day as mentioned in No.3, slowly incorporate other related action steps to build momentum and stronger focus.

Be intentional in being consistent and disciplined. Make it a priority especially when you are working solo, because it is more difficult to focus on your goals when nobody checks on you.

Since I worked on my blog all by myself, I had to train myself to be mentally strong to make myself more accountable. My past failures taught me that discipline and consistency should grow in us to accomplish small and big tasks even in difficult times.

Procrastination, getting easily distracted, and lack of focus are the opponents of our goals, not the difficult times. The ultimate hindrance in fulfilling our goals is not what life throws at us but our lack of self-control.

5. Set a realistic schedule or deadline.

Setting a realistic schedule or deadline will help you focus on your goals. It has to be doable, not ideal, and stick to it whatever it takes.

For example, your goal is to read ten books for a year. Since there are twelve months in a year, it is safe to say that reading one book a month is a realistic plan, and distribute the other two months (approximately 8 weeks) within the year for quick breaks. An average book has about 300 pages, so you need to read at least ten pages every day to finish an entire book in one month.

Say you need an hour to read ten pages, ask yourself and evaluate your daily lifestyle:

“Can I dedicate at least one hour to reading?”

To read a book at least one hour a day is realistic without straining yourself too much. Having a realistic schedule for your goals prevents self-inflicted pressure and is challenging enough to strengthen your focus.

6. Focus on your purpose, not on the output.

Output can motivate or discourage us depending on how we look at it. If the output meets your expectations, it can lift your spirit. But it can discourage you if you are not satisfied with your work, which makes it not a reliable gauge for progress.

If you are a results-oriented person like me and tend to define your progress with your output, remind yourself that purpose is more important than the result. While good results are also important to our goals, know when to let it go. You can always improve and try to be better in what you do. The quality of output may mirror your abilities but it does not define who you are.

Going back to your purpose and keeping up with your goals are more important than any results. It is the journey that transforms you, not the destination.

7. Discover strategies that work for you and ditch what doesn’t.

It is hard to focus on our goals if we have too much in our minds. As you work, learn strategies that work for you and that don’t.

Let go of the strategies that are not productive and add stress to you. Too much clutter leads to poor focus and confusion. Simplify tasks as much as you can. 

One of the top bloggers today revealed that she posts at least two blogs a week to maximize her chance of getting into Google’s ranking. So I tried to copy her and squeezed myself into writing two posts per week, but I ended up burned out and had to rest for two weeks.

I then shifted to blogging once a week because it is when I am more productive and sustainable. And I will continue working this way as long as it still works for me the best. This keeps me intact and focused even during difficult times.

There is no one-size-fits-all way of doing things. Try out things for yourself and discover where you perform best. Listen to your instincts and the signs around you.

8. Do a light progress review and revisit your plans.

Evaluating your progress and revisiting your plans is a productive way of taking a break from the routines of work. This doesn’t have to be stressful because the aim is to breathe from your strict schedule and keep your focus at the same time.

Are you satisfied with the progress? How is working on your goals changing you? Do you feel fulfilled for doing something you love or are you getting more stressed?

These are some of the questions that you can ask yourself when evaluating your journey. Treat it as a quick breather because sticking to a schedule can be draining at times.

Productive breaks are important in maintaining focus on our goals. I love taking productive breaks in a quiet and cozy coffee shop where I can sit and doodle. I don’t set a definite day for this but I usually follow what my instinct and body say.

Do not be hard on yourself when your progress is slow and your action plans are not as good as you want to be. Just focus on your goals, whether in good times or in bad, because patience and perseverance always pay off well in the end.

9. Reward yourself for every completed major task.

Rewarding yourself for working hard on your goals is an effective way of boosting focus and productivity. Celebrate your milestones and remind yourself of the good things that you do to avoid getting burdened by problems.

A reward doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. Since I am tied to taking care of my children most of the time, my favorite reward is spending time with myself with a cup of good Spanish latte. Yes, while looking back on my journey and revisiting my plans.

Do whatever makes you happy. Our life doesn’t always have to be difficult and problem-filled. We also deserve to have joy and smiles on our faces as we work on our dreams.