Staying Focused On Your Goals For A Simplistic & Productive Life (For The 40+)
“Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you.”
Tony Hsieh
Life after 40 can be an incredibly fulfilling journey, filled with opportunities to rediscover passions and set new goals. However, staying focused on your goals amidst the distractions and responsibilities of everyday life can sometimes be challenging.
Whether you’re aiming to increase your productivity, pick up a new hobby, or improve your health, maintaining a clear vision is essential. In this blog post, we explore ten power habits that you can build to help you focus on what matters most to you to help you stay on track and make the most out of this exciting stage of life.
Once you do that, you can achieve any goal you set for yourself. Here are some habits that will help you focus on your goals, be productive, and achieve success in anything you do.
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Life Changes For Staying Focused On Your Goals
Want to make some life changes and stay focused on your goals?
Here is an inspirational story about my blogging coach, Sadie Smilie. She was a mother of three children, and because of her dire financial situation, she had to rely on the government’s food stamp program.
She was determined to focus on her goals and make something of herself. So, after a lot of hard work, she started building upon her business and established a six-figure income for herself and her family by helping people build passive income for themselves.
Her life changed drastically when she started on this new journey. Little did she know how worth it all this change would be.
Not only did Sadie build her blog, but she also helped other entrepreneurs all over the world build their businesses with her membership program, PIPS. This also allowed her to meet some of the most amazing people!
So what ways can you adopt, and what changes can you make to get similar results as Sadie’s?
Scared of big changes, especially in your 40s and beyond, read our blog post on How To Reinvent Yourself By Eliminating Your Fears (For The 40+).
Take Time To Reflect On Your Life Regularly
Getting into the habit of regularly reflecting on your life is a great way to stay focused on your goals and on what matters most to you.
When you follow the same patterns, schedules, and routines without questioning or analyzing them, you may be doing certain activities out of habit rather than necessity.
Take time to reflect on your life periodically. These reflections can help you identify parts of your life that need changing and help you remove distractions in your life.
This will help you maintain focus on what is important to you and worth paying attention to according to your current needs and goals.
Read our blog post on 10 Really Helpful Benefits Of Self-Reflection To Energize The Mind (For The 40+) to understand the importance of self-reflection in life.
Not sure how to set effective goals? Download the Goal Planner we have designed for you using Creative Fabrica to set and achieve your goals. This planner will also help you stay focused on your goals.
Eating Healthier
Eating healthier isn’t just a secret to weight loss, it’s also the key to success in all aspects of life. When you load your body with nutritious food and cut back on junk food, you create an optimal environment for your mind to thrive.
Eating healthy provides you with the
- necessary energy,
- mental clarity and concentration,
- as well as physical strength.
Improved health can also reduce stress levels, which makes it easier for you to stay on task when tackling important goals.
Ultimately, eating healthier develops better habits that will benefit you in everything from household chores or work projects to any other performance.
With few risks and so much potential reward, increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is an investment towards desired success!
Make Sure You Are Getting Plenty Of Good, Quality Sleep
It is much easier to focus — especially on what is most important to you — when you are feeling well-rested. Get into the habit of going to bed at a reasonable hour each night so you can get plenty of good, quality sleep.
Trying to focus on anything when you’re feeling exhausted is nearly impossible. Getting lots of good sleep is not only good for your physical health but your mental health and ability to focus as well.
Plus, you may also try to develop the habit of taking a power nap any time during the day. This helps in re-energizing your mind and enhancing your productivity. I especially find it a very useful practice.
Especially as you start to grow older, you will realize that these power naps seem to take a special place in your life, helping you recharge yourself. Do not overdo it. Limit it to a period of 15–20 minutes. Close your eyes, take a dose, and relax!!
These are little habits and tips that go a long way in helping you stay focused on your goals and make progress.
Setting goals is not only about milestones that you set for yourself. It should be coupled with daily strategies and habits that will enable you to fulfill your goals.
Wake Up Earlier
Waking up earlier can be a powerful habit to help you achieve success in anything you pursue. Rising early has both physical and mental benefits
- such as increased focus and concentration,
- the ability to plan out your day
- and extra time for activities like yoga or meditation.
Furthermore, those who tend to rise earlier are more likely to be structured in their routine and hold themselves accountable for taking the necessary steps toward their goals.
Waking up early helps in proper time management. So it is very important to have an effective morning routine for a healthy start to the day.
Get Your Steps In
Getting your daily 10,000 steps in is a great way to improve your overall health, as it encourages physical activity.
Yet, many people don’t know that it has significant impacts on your mental health and ability to achieve success in anything you do.
When you reach your goal of 10,000 steps each day, it can increase endorphin production. This is associated with feeling more successful and energized.
You can read the book How to Increase Your Daily Steps to Lose Weight, Get Fitter, Feel Better, and Be Happier: 89 Simple Ways To Walk 10,000 Steps A Day by Marie A. Danna if you want to learn of interesting ways to get to 10000 steps every day.
Additionally, the physical process of walking helps with relaxation and problem-solving to make sure you stay focused and have the physical energy to continue working hard toward any goals.
Make movement and exercise an essential part of your day. Get into the habit of being active and energized throughout the day.
When you keep yourself moving, you are also keeping a steady flow of oxygenated blood flowing toward your brain.
Taking time to move around is a great way to keep your mind and body alert. This makes it much easier to focus on what matters to you.
It is rightly said that you may set countless goals and have endless dreams, but without a healthy body and mind, it is not possible to achieve those goals.
“If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll probably have to make time for illness.” – Robin Sharma
Stick To Some Basic Routines To Automate The More Predictable Parts Of Your Day
Having routines sometimes gets a bad rap. Implementing some useful routines into your day can help automate the “everyday” parts of life, taking a lot of the energy, effort, and struggle to keep things moving smoothly off your plate.
For example, if you have a good, solid routine for preparing dinners during the workweek or getting ready for bed, you don’t have to think too hard about what’s for dinner or whether you’re going to get enough sleep.
These types of routines can help simplify and uncomplicate these parts of your life by making them predictable. This gives you more mental energy to focus on your goals.
Your morning routine can set the tone for the rest of your day. Please read our blog post Top Morning Routine Ideas for Productivity (For the 40+) to start your day feeling productive and happy!!
Spend More Time With Folks Who Share Your Goals And Interests In Life
The people you spend the majority of your time with have a big impact on your overall attitude. Get into the habit of spending more time around people who share your goals and interests.
Being in a group of like-minded people makes it much easier to stay focused on your goals. Their excitement and interest are often infectious.
This will inspire you to maintain a high level of focus on your shared interests and common goals. Choose someone from that group to be your accountability partner and create an action plan that benefits both of you.
This is one reason I love the PIPS program, which I mentioned earlier. I get to associate with so many like-minded people like Aquita Shepherd, Faith Acchia, and many others who are also relentlessly focused on their goals in building their businesses to achieve financial freedom.
If this has piqued your interest, you can enroll in the free blogging foundation course that Sadie offers in her program.
Model Your Decision-Making By Whatever Option Best Aligns With What Matters Most To You
Every decision you make — even the smallest, most mundane, and routine ones — has the power to impact your ability to stay focused.
When you find yourself faced with any decision you need to make, try doing it with what matters most to you in mind.
For example, if you are faced with the common decision to either stay up late or go to bed on time, weigh this decision against a big goal, such as bagging a project by attending the meeting the next day.
Between these two choices, one of them better aligns with attending the meeting. If you go to bed on time, you’ll feel better rested for the meeting.
Getting into the habit of aligning your decision-making with what is better for you is a great way to keep your focus where it needs to be.
Use Mantras To Reiterate The Most Important Parts Of Your Life To Yourself
Using mantras or positive affirmations is an excellent way to remind yourself of what is most important to you and to focus on your goals.
When you’re feeling especially stressed or distracted, you can use mantras to refocus yourself on what matters most to you. Some examples of mantras you can use include:
● I am focused.
● I can handle difficult tasks.
● I can go after what I want.
● I have the power to tackle this problem.
Stop Saying “I’m Sorry”
Saying “thank you” can have a powerful effect on your success in any endeavor you choose to start. A simple expression of gratitude generates positive energy and boosts your attitude and outlook.
Expressing your appreciation openly can also kick start an open dialogue that leads to understanding and trust with teams, colleagues, family, friends, and anyone else your interactions involve.
This is why it’s important to stop saying “I’m sorry” as the automatic response when something goes wrong or someone brings a problem to your attention. Instead, start expressing thanks for those important moments of growth.
Some people will be amused at this. They may be surprised to hear a thank you when they are pointing out your mistakes to you. Tell them that you are thankful because they allowed you to learn from your mistakes.
Promoting positive reinforcement will bring better results than discouraging responses like “I’m sorry.”
Know When To Splurge
Many times, you make decisions based on what is readily available rather than taking the time to think through which product or service would provide you with the best outcome.
For example, if you’re considering buying a computer for basic needs, you could opt for a cheaper model, but if you plan to do extensive photo and video editing, then investing in a higher-performance machine might prove more useful.
Taking the time to consider all your options from the start will pay off in the long term. By doing so, you’ll be better prepared for whatever task is at hand.
This aspect is important for you to understand in your 40s and beyond because this allows you to keep track of your expenses and your finances do not get haywire.
Practical Steps On How to Stay Focused On Your Goals
It can be quite a daunting task to stay focused on your goals relentlessly. With the kind of distractions that one faces daily, be it social media or other sources that are constantly bombarding us with information overload, it is quite a task to focus on goals.
Yet, here are some practical steps you can consider, which will guide you and show you how to focus on your goals and avoid distractions.
Keep A “Brain Dump” Journal.
Are you often plagued by random thoughts that interrupt your workflow? These can be great distractions and set you off while you are trying to achieve whatever you have set yourself to.
If this problem sounds familiar, get into the habit of keeping a brain dump journal.
This journal functions exactly as its name implies. It is a place for all those random thoughts to go, so you can revisit them later at a more appropriate time.
Getting into the habit of getting these niggling little thoughts out of your mind is an excellent way to stay focused on what is important to you without forgetting these little thoughts later when you have more time to explore them.
Work In Distraction-Free Environments Whenever Possible
In a world full of tempting distractions, it’s a wonder anyone can focus on anything and achieve what they have set themselves to!
So it is extremely important to get into the habit of working in distraction-free environments.
For example, you may choose to remove television sets or your smartphone from your home office. This way, you aren’t tempted to stream shows or scroll mindlessly.
Distraction-free workspaces are excellent for helping you in staying focused on your goals.
Ditch The Idea Of Multitasking By Focusing On A Single Task At A Time
Many people preach the wonders of multitasking. Unfortunately, multitasking is a huge myth!
Trying to focus on more than one task at a time rarely leads to quality work. Instead, you’ll likely find yourself making mistakes more frequently when you attempt to multitask.
Get into the habit of focusing on a single task at a time. In the long run, attacking your workload with this approach will make it much easier for you to focus on important tasks instead of getting lost in a whirlwind of useless details.
Create Tailored Made To-Do Lists
Creating a tailored to-do list is a powerful habit anyone can adopt on the path to success. Whether it’s something small like grocery shopping or something larger like achieving a certain goal like getting a promotion by the year’s end, setting your sights on something, and writing down the steps that need to be taken is often the best way to stay focused and motivated.
Having physical written proof of what needs to be done also helps break projects into more manageable pieces and keeps procrastination at bay.
You can use a paper planner for this purpose, or several apps like the To-doist, Evernote, or Notion can help you in this regard. If these apps confuse you, you can take this notion course which I found helpful in streamlining my work process.
To-do lists can also help bring things into perspective by providing the necessary structure to your life.
In short, utilizing tailored made, to-do lists is a surefire way for anyone to achieve their goals with clarity and purpose.
You can get this intentional week success guide which is an actionable guide that will help you create a weekly plan and enhance your productivity.
Utilize Deadlines
Deadlines are a powerful asset for anyone who wants to find success in any task. By setting deadlines for yourself, you can plan each step of the way and track how much progress is being made.
Furthermore, deadlines help to inject purpose into an activity and channel your energy more efficiently. It can be incredibly beneficial to break down big tasks into smaller sections and assign a deadline to stay on track. This also helps you to overcome procrastination.
After dividing a task up into achievable elements with due dates, it’s easier to focus on the individual steps instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture.
Deadlines also keep you motivated and striving towards your goal until you reach it—or it reaches you! Employing these methods is an effective method for staying organized and making sure that important responsibilities do not get lost in the chaos of life.
Keep Your Work Area Clutter Free
Keeping a clean and organized workspace can be one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself. Not only does it keep you focused on your tasks, but it also helps to elevate your mood and prevent overwhelm.
Furthermore, when you move things around and clean up after yourselves, you subconsciously become disciplined, which helps in achieving successful outcomes in any venture you pursue.
Read our blog post 25 Best Ways To Organize Your Life: The Ultimate Guide (For The 40+) to get ideas to streamline and organize your life.
Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications
A common problem that everyone seems to encounter these days is continuous interruptions throughout the day due to constant notifications on their devices.
Eliminating such distractions can drastically improve one’s focus and productivity. Taking a break from notifications will help you become better organized in tasks and improve decision-making.
Staying Focused On Your Goals-Key Takeaways
You can stay focused on your goals, provided you have patience. Nothing happens overnight. For any change to take place in your life, you need to put in the required effort and have diligence, patience, and some amount of willpower.
You need to keep nurturing your thinking process, plan on setting milestones, and improve your time-management skills.
Learn to reward yourself as you keep achieving some short-term goals daily. This will keep your motivation levels high.
At times, your plans will go haywire. You may fall sick, or some other issue may come up, yet, accept these hurdles as part and parcel of your life.
Learn not to get bogged down by these small events. Always visualize the larger picture, and it will always be easier for you to stay focused on your goals.
Recommended Books To Read For Staying Focused On Your Goals
Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff (Amazon.com | Amazon.in)
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (Amazon.com | Amazon.in)
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