IT CAN be tempting to focus on all your goals at once. But it’s not a good idea. When you have many goals, you should focus on one at a time. Make an action plan and break it down into tasks you can regularly complete – daily or weekly. Additionally, you can focus on one goal at a time by doing the following:
Key Takeaways
- As an entrepreneur, you can’t focus on multiple goals at once because you need even more focus than as an employee.
- Choose a goal that will push you outside your comfort zone, and that you would feel motivated working toward.
- Every day, find a block of time when you can work on your business and focus on it. Block it out in your calendar if you need a visual reminder.
How to Focus on One Goal at a Time
1. Improving Your Focus
When you leave your day job to start your own business, what feels like the end is often the beginning of a new chapter. As an entrepreneur, you need even more focus than as an employee. If you’ve been thinking about leaving your 9 to 5 and don’t want to spend your life working your life away, follow these steps to improve your focus.
- Think about the areas of life you want to focus on.
- Set both short-term and long-term goals in those areas.
Getting a new client is a short-term goal. A long-term goal might be to make more money. Break your goals into steps and take them one at a time. Choose goals that will push you outside your comfort zone – one of the cons of your comfort zone is that you’re closed off to personal growth. Stepping outside your comfort zone helps you grow.
Also, try to focus on the positive. Instead of thinking about what might go wrong with your goal, ask yourself, “What if it all works out?”
2. Multitasking Doesn’t Work
Companies often mention multitasking as a skill. They don’t understand that if you multitask, you can’t get ahead in life. Multitasking doesn’t work; Single-minded focus works better. Prioritize important tasks, then less critical tasks. Complete them in order of importance if necessary.
3. Reading Business Books
Reading business books will provide valuable information and help you muster up the courage to start your own business. They can help you figure out how to quit your 9-5 and make money and help you set small goals that lead to big goals, eventually leading to long-term goals in your life. Using tracking systems can help you stay on track when you’re stuck in the valley of disappointment.
4. Becoming Obsessed with Your Goals
Being an entrepreneur is hard. It’s your business, so you make all the decisions about how every dollar is spent in your business and how much of a salary you take. If you’re having difficulty making these decisions, you may need an entrepreneurship coach to help you.
5. Developing Tunnel Vision
We are distracted by social media. But when you’re an entrepreneur, you can’t take a lot of time to look at social media – you must stay focused on your business. Here are a few tips for developing tunnel vision as an entrepreneur:
Create Non-Negotiable Work Hours
Many people find that setting non-negotiable work hours helps them stay focused on their business. Whether you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur or working full-time on your business. Every day, find a block of time when you can work on your business and focus on it. Block it out in your calendar if you need a visual reminder.
Keep Your Eyes on Your Goals
Goal setting is important when starting a business but make sure your list of goals is relevant to you. Don’t compare yourself to what other bloggers, writers, or whatever are doing. Throughout our lives, we all have different journeys and lessons to learn along the way. There is no best way to set business goals. Accept where you are and move forward. Put on the blinders and get to work.
Put Down Your Phone
Most people spend a lot of time on their phones. Social media is distracting; put Do Not Disturb on your phone and get some work done. Set goals to limit your phone usage while you’re working.
Check-In Weekly
Write your three primary goals for the upcoming week in your planner. If you’re a writer, you might try pitching three publications or writing three blogs. Next, list the tasks you need to complete to achieve your goals. At the end of the week, check to see if you have made any progress. If you achieved your goals, great, now you need to set goals for the next week. Otherwise, recalibrate and try again. Doing weekly check-ins on personal goals and business goals helps you stay in check.
Make Your Goals Visual
Writing your goals down on a piece of paper is great, but some people are more visual. If you want to go to a certain place, cut out a picture of it and put it on your desk. If you want to get out of debt, take one of your bills, write “debt free” on it, and put it on your vision board. Visual cues are a great way to stay focused on a single goal.
Find an Accountability Partner
An accountability partner can help you get back on track when you feel like you’re getting off track. Ask for some support from someone you trust to support your dreams and goals. If you’re having trouble working out, studying, or controlling your cravings, ask them to help you. Having someone cheering you on and providing healthy feedback can help you stay on course.
Create To-Do Lists
Once you’ve figured out the short-term goals that will lead you to your long-term goals, break them down into steps you can add to a to-do list. Repeat those steps as often as you need to.
Build Your Business One Goal at a Time
That’s what you need to do to focus on one goal at a time. Like any new skill, focusing on one goal at a time can be hard to learn at first, but when you do what you need to do for the day to accomplish that goal, you’ll do a better job than you would if you tried to focus on all your goals at once. This way you’ll accomplish great things in your business, get through difficult times and develop better time management.