How do I focus on my goals more effectively

Posted by Sarah Hobbs

There is no doubt that being goal-orientated results in career success. Clearly you have to have the right goals (there’s no point aiming to be the CEO within three years if you’ve only just joined the mail room) but assuming that your goals are within your grasp, strong and consistent goal orientation helps you to get noticed and move your career forward.

What might interfere with goal achievement?

1. Do you get distracted? One of the main reasons people don’t achieve their goals is that they get distracted. They need lots of variety, and so the next shiny thing that comes along diverts their attention from the goals they’ve set. If you struggle with this, identify just 1-3 core priorities. When a new opportunity comes along ask yourself whether it fits into those priorities? If it doesn’t, can you do it without compromising your key priorities? Make a habit of not saying ‘Yes’ to new work on the spot – say you’ll review your workload and get back to them tomorrow. It’s surprising how a night’s sleep gives you perspective. Do get back to people fast the next day, however – don’t leave it in limbo, or you might end up agreeing to do it out of guilt.


2. Do you lose track of the goal? If you don’t review goals regularly, there’s a danger that you won’t spot opportunities to progress them. Our career research shows that fast trackers are more likely than others to schedule regular time out to reflect on long-term goals and progress. Take time at least once a week to review the progress you’re making against the goals you’re driving towards. Failure to review is something I see even more where it’s a career goal – people get busy with work and their ambitions often slip to the bottom of the pile. Regularly reviewing your career goals will stop that happening.


3. Do you lack the knowledge, skills and ability to achieve the goal? Sometimes you may feel like the goal is beyond your current abilities. But this is only temporary – you can do something to resolve it. It’s the people that proactively learn new skills, gain new acknowledge and develop new abilities who achieve their goals. So ask lots of questions, get feedback; find people who are already achieving the goal, throw yourself in the deep end, start it – and work out how to achieve it as you go.


4. Do you give up too easily on your goals? If you do, it raises the question of whether you really want to achieve the goal. Are you really committed to it? Will you do what it takes to get there? If no, maybe you should consider focusing your efforts elsewhere. Ask yourself why you give up, and do something about it. For example, if you feel that you give up because it involves doing new things that make you feel uncomfortable, then maybe you need to find someone who believes you can do it, and who can act as your cheerleader, getting you over the rough patches.


5. Are you afraid of putting in the work? Sometimes you may feel like you don’t have the energy to drive the goal forward. Assuming it’s the right goal for you, try to find patterns of low motivation, things that trigger low energy or times you feel despondent. How can you even those dips and ruts out, or prepare for the times that you find tough? Sometimes the goals that we’re fighting towards are bigger than one person – maybe you need some friends along for the journey.


6. Are you scared that you’ll fail? You might do, but you’re in it for a reason and there’s lots you can do to avoid failing. Plan carefully, build support, find mentors, do everything you can to work out why you’re afraid, and address the problems. Choosing to stick your head in the sand or avoiding the issues means that failure may happen. And to end on a happier thought – remember there’s truth to the saying that if you fail you also learn – it isn’t always the end of the world.

TAKE AWAY
There are all sorts of things that stop us from achieving our goals. Your success depends on finding the thing that’s stopping you and fixing it.