Stay Focused – Goals and Writing!

It’s hard to stay focused on your goals and when you have so many things going on in your life…
Because of life, we put things to the back, and then we end up in a circle of feeling unmotivated, and unfocused on what we really want.

Wanting to stay focused also applies to us who are writing.
Those who write set their own goals to achieve within certain time frames, word counts, and so on…

I am going to give you a few tips on how to stay focused, achieve your goals, and finish that story!

How to Stay Focused on Any Goal

This little section will help with anything you need to focus on. This could range from your fitness, self-help, to learning a new skill.

• Write it down

Write down what it is you want to achieve, write it into existence! Once you have written something down; you have to do it. Whether it takes you a day or a week… Eventually, you will get it done.

• Make a finish by date

By creating a finish date, you will manage your time better.
In the back of your mind, you will know you need to get a certain job done, and it will annoy you until you complete it. So, have a finish date, work towards one thing at a time, and get it done.

• Reward yourself for being on time

When you have finished some work you wanted to have completed, reward yourself!
Book a day off, go out, or maybe just sit and chill out for an hour or so and get back to work afterwards.
It’s important to give yourself rewards and things to look forward too, otherwise, what’s the point in working so hard?

• Motivate yourself

Keeping yourself motivated is so difficult, I know that.
It’s important to keep yourself going though, once you lose the motivation, it’s hard to get it back!
Stay motivated by being excited about your goals, look forward to where your hard work will get you. Just keep thinking about yourself, think about others who inspire you and remember you want to be there, or even further than they are.
Remember that the only way for you to succeed is to keep doing what you’re doing. Stay focused, stay motivated to create a better life.

• Keep learning, research if you get stuck.

Don’t stop learning.
There is so much to learn and so much to do.
Stay up to date with social media, stay up to date with internet trends, blogging trends.
Also keep learning about what you want to do, for example, if you write, keep learning! There isn’t a cut-off point to information, your mind can keep going, and so can your skills.

• Don’t quit. It will take longer! 

Such a big one! Do not quit.
There is literally NO POINT unless you really don’t want to do something anymore, or you have found another passion. Don’t quit because you have a hard day or even a hard week. Take your time, push yourself slowly. Stay focused. Quitting will only take you longer to reach where you aspire to be.

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

―Dale Carnegie

Stay Focused When Writing

Here are the tips for when you are writing.
It can be so draining to sit at your desk writing for hours on end and not really wanting to do it. Thus, creating poor content, and feeling no motivation whatsoever.

• Plan the story fully
  (Use my planning kit to help! It’s free when you subscribe!)

So, the planning kit that you receive when you subscribe is my super easy kit, you can plan and create a story in a day if you want too. I don’t always plan intricately, but I do plan so I know what I am going to write for each part.
That’s the best thing to do.
Once you reach a section of your book you haven’t even mildly planned for, that’s when you get stuck and think there’s no point. It’s helpful to even have a brief outline.

• Have a finish date

Once again, stay focused and motivated by creating a finish by date. Think of it like you’re at school or college, and if you don’t finish in time, then you will not be rewarded, or you won’t pass the test. Finish your work on time for yourself.

• Motivate yourself with inspiration

Create a mood board of the story you are writing, make it pretty.
I do this so I feel excited about writing my story. You can also stay inspired by doing other creative things; draw, or create music, or even write some poetry. It’s important to keep yourself inspired by your ability to create.

• Keep a checklist

Create a checklist in order of priority.
For example;
plan book/write a cover/write the first paragraph/have 2,000 words written… etc.
Writing things in order of importance will keep you productive, and you will get things done!

• Don’t pressure yourself, even writing 100 words in a day is still writing.

Don’t get mad when you haven’t reached your daily goal. It’s fine.
Just know that you will write double the next day or make up for it by being productive and completing another task.

• Take breaks every twenty minutes

Don’t overdo it.
After a while you can begin to feel drained, you might go off track with what you’re doing and that’s not good!
So, take a break to refresh your mind, have a think and get back to it.
If you don’t feel you need one every twenty minutes, adjust the time to what you can personally handle. If you are on a roll with your writing, keep going.

• Make sure you stay hydrated

Just because this is an important everyday life tip, and when you are writing in the zone, it’s easy to let hours pass without eating or drinking anything.
Have a bottle of water ready (a reusable one) and keep filling it up.

• Get snacks!

Even the best writers have to stay full of food and nutrition.
Don’t eat a load of rubbish.
You have the time to create a healthy meal and healthy snacks, so do it.

• Go for a walk/run to clear your mind

When it all becomes a bit too much, make sure you give yourself time away from everything.
Go have a breather.
Remember your mental health is important, so take some time off before you explode.
Go and be outside, get away from your writing environment for a little while and let your mind breath again.

Writing can also be a lonely thing, so if you’re struggling to be alone, I also have a post about that too here!

If you want to stay up to date and read daily reminders, follow my Instagram and Twitter.

If you have any other ways to stay focused on your goals, or what you find helps with your writing, please leave a comment below!

Thank you for reading, see you soon.