How to Focus On Your Goals
I've called the hotline. They diagnosed me. I'm ADD.
Add technology into the mix, and I'm a toddler in a toy store.
I chase the mental rabbit down thousands of holes, bouncing from one topic to the next.
My teachers hated me.
They said I had too much energy.
They made me sit on a special stool. They gave me drugs.
Drugs made it worse.
Ritalin. I became a zombie — a useless, childless blob.
The drug lasted a day.
The only thing that helped me focus was having clear goals I was passionate about, and action plans to achieve them.
It was that simple.
ADD is my SUPERPOWER and GOALS are my bat light.
It's hard to stay focused if you don't take the right approach to achieve your goals; here's how.
Limit yourself to 10 goals a year.
I'm a perpetual goal seeker.
I have a list of goals I want to achieve. I want to achieve them all. Now!
With goals, you have to be patient. My mom was right. Patience is a virtue.
You might have a list of 40 goals.
Great.
You're thinking. You're planning.
But for now, those "goals" are dreams.
"A goal without a plan is just a dream."
You can't achieve your goals all at once, but you can accomplish ten of them in a given year if you focus.
Focus on seven to ten goals this year.
Execute on three goals per quarter.
Every quarter is where you realize your goals and begin to execute on them.
Each goal needs five to ten discreet action steps to achieve them.
Take time to think about your goal and reverse engineer what you can do to achieve them in small action steps.
Some of these actions will be more detailed than others.
That's okay. Just list out the action steps.
If the goal is…
Lose fifteen pounds by August 31, then your action steps are:
Join a weight loss accountability group on Facebook or through an Apple app.
Begin walking for 10 minutes a day.
Read the Longevity Paradox book.
Start taking new supplements.
Begin cutting out lectins and throwing away junk in the pantry and refrigerator.
Cook one new meal each week.
Subscribe to Apptive and complete profile.
Perform one Apptive exercise routine every day.
This applies to any goal.
Want to meet your sales quota? Break it down into actionable steps.
Focus on 3 things each week that push your goals and your projects forward.
Every day you're going to get thrown the distraction bone. You'll want to wag your tail and chase it down Distraction Avenue.
You'll get distracted by the whirlwind of living life.
To avoid this, you'll set time to focus on your goals.
Each week you'll choose three priorities that will move your goals and projects forward.
You have 168 hours during the week to accomplish them.
If your goals are important to you, you'll schedule the time.
That's why you only chose three big priorities for the week.
Complete 3 things each day.
Now that you've chosen your weekly big three, you'll break them down into your daily big three.
What three things can you do today that will have the most significant impact on your life, your career, and your goals?
Don't overcomplicate this process.
Twenty percent of your activities will drive eighty percent of your results.
When you think about your daily big three, at least two of them need to push your goals or projects forward.
Don't leave it to chance.
An essential tip is to map your weekly big three to your calendar.
When you schedule your activities, you're more likely to get them done. You've taken the step to designate time.
Once you begin thinking of your goals in a yearly, weekly, and daily format, you'll see your goal achievement skyrocket.
