Take a moment to examine your daily habits: which habits aren’t you proud of? Doing this might be uncomfortable because it exposes us to what we should and shouldn’t be doing. We should, however, do it more often as it helps us determine if we’re wasting time or using it wisely.
Breaking any habit requires patience, accountability, consistency, and confidence in overcoming that habit. Our habits shape who we are; it’s what we do every day that pieces together our identity, which we’ll only be able to see from a third-point perspective as time progresses.
In the next five years, our daily habits dictate whether or not we’ve accomplished the goals we’ve set for ourselves.
In this post, you’ll discover four habits preventing you from reaching the goals you’ve set for yourself.
Here are the top four habits preventing you from achieving your goals.
1. Not writing them down
Not writing down your goals is like trying to drive to your destination without a map or GPS. As a result, you’ll constantly be lost and stuck in a loop, going in circles instead of forward—this prevents you from advancing toward the goals you’ve set for yourself because you no longer have any sense of direction or guidance. Writing down your goals keeps them in the back of your mind, leading to a natural fixation with meeting these targets. This constant reminder keeps you accountable and on track, resulting in a higher chance of achieving them.
A study by Dr. Gail Mathews revealed students who wrote down their goals were 42% more likely to achieve them.
Whether you choose to write all of your goals in a notebook, sticky note, or Google document, it’s imperative that you routinely visit your list of goals. Doing so keeps you accountable and reminded of your purpose.
2. Not dreaming big enough
Your goals should be the reason you get up in the morning. Your goals should be the reason why you are constantly working. Your goals should excite you each time you think about them. When a goal is too small, it’s easier to forget about it and not work towards achieving it. We’re all egotistical creatures, and frequently our ego creates a false image of our abilities to accomplish that goal. For example, if our goal is to lose weight, our ego takes over, instilling a false sense of pride that we will be able to lose weight while underestimating the amount of work to do so. Instead, we should dig more in-depth with our goal setting.
A better alternative to the goal stated previously would be to start exercising daily to lose 10 lbs by the end of the month. This goal is more specific, sets a deadline, and establishes a plan to keep us accountable.
Still, writing down your goals and making them more actionable will not guarantee success. We must cultivate a strong work ethic and incorporate discipline into our habits. Here are some guidelines to follow when developing actionable goals that keep you up at night:
-Include a plan for your goal and how you will accomplish it.
-Set a date that will keep you accountable.
-Think big, but think realistically.
-Think about how this will benefit you. What will it accomplish?
3. Having too many distractions
With social media and text messages going off every second, it’s easy for distractions to interrupt our state of focus. Whatever the distraction is, acknowledge its presence and step away from it. Be a freight train; you’ll gradually pick up momentum and move productively to the point where anything that gets in your way won’t be able to knock you off course. Not only, but when we’re constantly distracted, it’s much easier to become overwhelmed and lose concentration. Switching back and forth between distractions to work wastes time and causes us to lose our train of thought when working.
After consistently dedicating a specific time out of your day for deep work with few distractions, it will become habitual. Many successful entrepreneurs and wealthy individuals apply this principle by waking up at 5 a.m. because it’s quiet and distraction-free, meaning more work and greater focus. So, the next time you’re at the gym or working on a big project, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, and you’ll find greater concentration and focus.
4. Focusing on the End Instead of the Journey
Of course, the result should be why we get up in the morning and execute our day when we would much rather lay in bed; however, focusing too much goal itself instead of the journey does more harm than good. Naturally, we think after we’ve accomplished our goal, we’ve acquired success, which marks the end of the road. Instead, we should focus on what we can learn and gain from the journey because that defines our goals. Our goals gain value from the setbacks, obstacles, ups, and downs we face, not the result.
