I always used to wonder how to focus on my goals without distraction. As a highly sensitive empath with identity distortion, it’s fair to say that it has been more than a little challenging for me to focus on myself. For the longest time it was impossible. I spent decades of my life putting other people before me, offsetting my own goals to focus on supporting others.
It wasn’t all bad. I am glad that I was able to be an absolute rockstar for my family and to support them through hell. And I’m glad I was the bigger, more compassionate person in a lot of my relationships. But the time had to come when I focused on me, when I focused on my own goals, when I put myself first.
Even if you’re not a chronic empath like me, it can still be insanely difficult to focus on your goals without getting distracted. We live in the age of information overload. Studies show that on average we are exposed to between 6000 and 10 000 ads per day. We see thousands of social media posts every day. We are exposed to constant sensationalist news stories. It never ends! And it all adds up to make it virtually impossible for us to focus on our goals without getting distracted.
But it is possible. We can empower ourselves to focus on our goals. We just have to make a few key changes. Let me show you the way.
Let me show you how to get the most out of meditation.
Come meditate with me today!
How To Focus On Your Goals And Not Get Distracted
1: Make your goals clearer, larger, and more vivid
You want to focus on your goals, but just what exactly is a “goal” and what does it mean to “focus”? Seemingly obvious questions, but when you look a little closer you start to realize things.
For starters, yes, a “goal” is basically something you want to achieve. But it’s more than that. A goal is an image in your mind, an idea. When you think about your goal you get an idea of what it would be like in your mind, correct? But sometimes that idea, that vision, is cloudy and unclear. Well, one of the easiest ways to help yourself focus on your goals is to make them clearer. Paint in your mind a very clear and vivid image of exactly what your goal is and what it means to achieve it (the meditation later on in this article will help you with this).
Next, understand what it means to “Focus” on your goal. It means to keep that goal locked in your mind, without it wavering. And the best way to do that is to remove all the distractions that stop you from focusing on your goal. More on this in just a moment.
2: Meditate
Meditation is arguably the very best way of focusing your mind on anything. In fact, studies show that people who meditate regularly have significantly higher levels of concentration than the average person. One reason why is that meditation clears your mind and removes distractions so that you can focus on… well, whatever you choose to focus on.
There are many different forms of meditation, and I have created a guide to using meditation for concentration, which will help you to get started.
I created the above guided meditation for focusing on goals. Simply press PLAY, listen along, and follow the steps. Within ten minutes this meditation will clear your mind and empower you to focus on your goals.
3: Understand the cost of information
If you read similar articles on this topic, you’ll notice that people tell you to do things like get off social media, stop watching the news, and turn off the TV. I am not going to tell you to do those things, because maybe you happen to enjoy the media.
What I will suggest, however, is that you recognize the cost and the value of information. You see, it is a fact that there is only so much information that your mind can be exposed to without losing focus. And the more sensationalist the information, the worse it will be. Of course, when I say “information” I really mean “stimuli”. It could be pictures, text, video… it’s all information that contributes to information overload.
Ask yourself, what information (or “noise” or “stimuli”) are you getting? What is the value of that information (does it help you at all?). And what is the cost of it (how much does it distract you or mislead you?).
By understanding the value and cost of information / stimuli, you can start to manage what goes into your mind (and how distracted you get). In turn, this will help you to stop mental noise.
4: Understand your motivation
Different things motivate different people. Categorically speaking, some people are more keen on intrinsic motivation (the sense of inner reward for achieving a goal) and some people on extrinsic motivation (such as money or social status). What style of motivation are you most drawn to? Is there a specific thing that you hope to get out of your goal, for instance, the feeling of being successful or a big fat cheque in your bank? Understand what motivates you, and then routinely remind yourself that when you achieve your goal, you will get that thing. This will fire you up to put in the effort that you need to be successful. You can also use my meditation for motivation.
5: Work with me
As a professional meditation teacher, one of my tasks is to help people to focus on their goals without getting distracted. By working with me in weekly meditation sessions you can rest assured that you will be fully focused on bringing your goals to fruition.
More Ways To Focus On Goals
- Limit TV time
- Reduce social media use
- Write down your goal somewhere you will see it every day
- Tell other people your goal
- Get hyper specific (say, “I will achieve X goal by Y day by doing Z).
- Break your goal down into easier-to-manage steps
- Create a details plan
- Use this meditation to set your intentions
It’s hard to focus these days. But with a few little changes here and there, you can do it! And I am here to help. Book a private meditation session with me today.
Paul Harrison is a passionate meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in meditation and mindfulness. He studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison