There’s no doubt that our goals are set with good intentions. We want to succeed and reap the benefits that come with making positive changes in our lives. One thing we often fail to account for though is life itself. Just as you prepare to take action, life gets in the way and drains your focus, causing you to lose momentum and eventually, motivation.

It’s easy to blame distractions, be it technology, family or career obligations. But the reality is that these hurdles have and always will be there. The trick is to manage them effectively, which involves utilizing some of the many powerful strategies and tools available today. Read on to learn more about how you can stay focused on your goals.

Narrow it Down

Goals are great but having too many simultaneously is no way forward. One will inevitably distract you from another and soon enough, you’ll be too overwhelmed to focus on any of them. Instead, stick to one to three goals for any given length of time. Your short-term goals should tie-in with medium and long-term goals for steady progress.

Start by identifying your most important goals. Don’t discard what remains – rather put them in a separate list for later. Interestingly, it’s not uncommon to find that you’ve unknowingly completed some of them while focusing on your main goals. Remember, less is more. The fewer goals you’re dealing with at once, the more energy you can put into them.

Eliminate Distractions

There are countless distractions jumping into the front seat of our lives and stealing our focus. You can’t get rid of all of them but eliminating or reducing those that don’t need to be there is a major step forward. Start with the basics, such as television, news, social media, gaming and other mind-numbing activities that don’t contribute to your development.

Digital distractions are the most prevalent time suck for most of us. This post on how to stay focused provides some tools and advice that can help you eliminate some of the biggest ones. Decluttering your home and workspace is also a good idea, as is setting specific times for answering emails and messages.

Track Your Progress

For any goal you set, it’s important to know how you’re progressing with it. This will help you identify when and where there is room for improvement. The sooner you spot a problem, the easier it will be to resolve the issue and continue making progress. Simply writing down your goal and its steps is a great way to do this.

Make a Statement

If you’re dead set on achieving your goals, you might want to create a mission statement. Businesses make use of them all the time, so why not do the same? A mission statement will help you direct your energy and resources towards what matters most to you, thus contributing to steady progress.

Think about what you value and believe in. Write down what you’ll gain from achieving your goal or how it will benefit your life. Do the same for your plan of action, noting down each step that you plan on taking to accomplish the goal. Keep your vision statement somewhere you can see it every day to ensure you stay focused.

Use Accountability

Provided your goal isn’t too personal or confidential, letting others know about it is a great idea. This is especially true if you share it with friends, family, and anyone else who has a genuine interest in seeing you achieve your goal. They can help you stay accountable, thus keeping you on track.

No major goal is achieved without hard work and effort. Rest assured, your efforts will pay off if you just stay focused.

It might take some practice, but you got this!