How to Stay on Track

Photo: Misserion

Staying on track is something I struggle with. There are always so many shiny opportunities to grab onto that it’s hard to stay focused and move towards some of my greater goals. But I’m working on it.

I’m sure I’ll continue hitting road blocks and being distracted, but having written up this mini-guide I hope that staying on track will be more attainable.

1. Have a track. Ask yourself this: do you really have a overarching goal in your life? You don’t need to plan your future down to minute details as to eliminate any chance of spontaneity, but it’s easy to convince yourself you’re on track for a nomadic lifestyle or billions of dollars (or whatever your main focus is) but if those are undefined quantities then it’s less of a track and more of a general direction. You may eventually get where you truly want to go, but there will be more stumbling around without a clear track.
2. Revisit the end goal. Once you’ve defined your track revisit it constantly. Whenever I start feeling a little “off” and doubtful of the feasibility of my plans I take out a piece of paper and write down everything I want to achieve and try to feel how fantastic these things would be. At times I still feel a little uneasy even after this exercise, but it prevents me from being stuck in a rut for too long.
3. Be compelled. Is your end goal something that gets you pumped up? Is it what you live for? If it’s not, then maybe you should rethink what you really want. It can be hard to decide what you truly want out of life, or a business, or any other project, but it’s better to but in the hard work before you commit to something and then realize later on it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
4. Do something everyday. You’ll certainly have days where you feel like you’re not “in the zone”. Don’t just do nothing. Just make some small piece of progress to avoid feeling guilty for “wasting” a day. It could be as simple as writing out a plan for what you want to do tomorrow.
5. Have the right motivations. Right motivations are effectively positive motivations. If you’re end goal is revenge or to simply prove a point then you’re going to struggle. You’ll be hampered by negative emotions and reaching the end goal itself will be unsatisfying. If you’re motivated by the idea of financial freedom or location independence on the other hand it’s far easier to maintain focus because they’re ideas you can truly feel passionate and excited about.
6. Celebrate small victories. Don’t fly past all the little wins you have along the way. If you’re a blogger celebrate when you reach 20 subscribers, and then 50, and 100 etc. If you’re trying to save up a travel fund acknowledge when you reach significant percentages of savings (10%, 50%, 75% etc). It’s these victories that will fuel your determination and help you realize that you are in fact making smart choices, and that sort of confidence is unstoppable.
7. Go beyond tactics. Have a strategy. Tactics are the actions everyone must take to reach a goal. Strategies on the other hand are systematic plans of action. You do need to employ tactics to achieve anything, they should be apart of a greater strategy, a well-organized plan made up of numerous action steps.

What keeps you on track? Feel free to share the goals that keep you excited in the comments section below.

Did you enjoy this blog post? To receive more content from Adventures of a Barefoot Geek in the future click here to subscribe.