Staying focused has always been a struggle for me. I’ve tried so many ideas out there to help you with this. Some help, most don’t. For me, it is always easier to stay focused on a tangible, short term deliverables than it is for me to focus on long term personal growth goals. Subtle goals that are non-tangible and difficult to measure are the hardest. Thing such as:
- Appreciating the little things
- Smiling more
- Practicing deep breathing when feeling tense or stressed
- Being mindful and living in the moment
- Replacing time spent surfing social media with reading a book
- Eliminating mindless snacking
- Drinking more water
- Listening to understand instead of listening to respond
- Making time for stretching, yoga, and meditation
- Having an attitude of gratitude
Without a doubt, I know If I could accomplish all of these things I would be a better person. However, I start having trouble staying focused on these goals almost as fast as I set them. If I want to improve in these areas then I need to retrain my brain.
Using Quotes to Trigger Staying Focused
As a result, starting this week I am going to try something new to help me focus on these subtle, non-tangible goals. Each week I am going to choose a quote of the week related to one of these goals. It could either be a popular pithy quote found in a Google search or a quote I make up on the fly.
For example, this week I’m going to focus on drinking more water. The phrase I will use is:
Motivate, Hydrate, Feel Great.
I am going to write this quote down on a few sticky notes and post it in a few visible places as a reminder. All week, my goal is to keep reading and re-reading this quote to help me trigger my focus of drinking more water.
My hope is that by doing this, I will spur tiny habits similar to the strategy that Dr. BJ Fogg uses to establish new habits. If you haven’t tried Fogg’s tiny habits method, I recommend you give it a try here.
This idea of using a quote of the week as a trigger is pretty much a remix of his idea. If you try this out, please let me know how it works out for you. I would love to hear from you.