You already know how journaling can help you build healthy goals. Now it’s time to learn how journaling can help you stay focused on your goals. And no, the solution isn’t just “trying harder”.
Instead, the trick is “trying smarter”. This means being curious about how you can make your dreams happen. The following 5 journaling hacks are a great place to start experimenting. Fair warning, not all of these tips will be right for you – that’s okay! All you need is one thing you can add to your journaling routine to stay focused on your goals.
That said, even the best plans can go off course (we learned that the hard way during the pandemic). If you want to keep up with your goals, you have to acknowledge that your energy is unpredictable. When we journal to build motivation, it’s important not to plan for perfect conditions.
So, if you’re sure that you’re being fair and kind to yourself, check out these 5 journal techniques to follow through with all of your goals.
Go One Step Beyond Habit Tracking
Every journaler knows about habit tracking. It is what it sounds like. You pick a habit and then mark when you do/don’t complete it. The sky is the limit with this tool (with very few exceptions). People have tracked everything from how much water they drink to how many dogs they pet. Which is why it’s such a shame that people don’t go further!
In the world of information science (my day job), raw data means nothing. You only learn when you analyze it! The same is true with your habit tracker.
If you want your habit tracker to be a motivational tool, you need to reflect on it every week. This will make the facts and figures feel more personal. Creating that sort of connection will help you stay focused on your goals more than just habit tracking alone.
You can use any prompt that feels right. Here are just a few ideas:
· What obstacles did you face this week? How did they affect your habits?
· Given how you’ve been doing lately, is your habit list reasonable?
· How can you be proud of your accomplishments this week?
The Scientific Method
Not every journal entry needs to be about deep feelings. Sometimes it actually helps to do the opposite and only list the facts.
During your next journal session, pretend you are a scientist. Your job is to write down the facts of your situation without getting emotional. There will be time to write about our feelings later but, for now, think literally. What physical sensations were happening in your body? Did something unexpected happen to your schedule? Make sure your report is thorough.
When you are done, think about what your scientist self might suggest to improve the experiment. This might just be the thing you need to gently redirect yourself. Remember, to stay focused on your goals, you’ll need to be curious!
Find a Third Option
People who struggle with perfectionism often get stuck in black-and-white thinking. Either it’s total success or 100% failure. We all know this isn’t true. Still, it’s a hard fear to let go. That’s why you need a fool-proof journaling tool for black-and-white-thinking emergencies.
Find a third option. That’s it. In your journal, name one scenario that exists somewhere between complete victory and absolute defeat. Then flesh out the story. Sure, the third option might be a bit bland and slow. But you can survive bland and slow, right?
The third option is almost always going to inch you towards progress. That means that you can relax a little bit when you don’t do everything just right. Over time, this journaling hack will expand your tolerance for uncertainty and help you accept change with grace.
Celebrate Little Wins with a Big Entry
It’s basic physics. An object in motion stays in motion. When it comes to journaling, motion means motivation. If you keep writing about success, you’ll stay focused on your goals.
You hereby have full permission to celebrate every tiny win. In fact, that’s an order. Sometimes big goals take a really long time. Only celebrating milestones could mean months of boredom. That’s not how you stay inspired.
At least once a week, you should be writing about all the little victories. Don’t just list them either. Dwell in your successes. Cherish them! Talk about how the achievement felt and what it might mean for the future. You deserve the hype.
Remind Yourself Why This Goal Matters Regularly
It can be really hard to remember why your goals ever felt important once you’re in the thick of things. When that happens, burnout is just around the corner. Your journal can be a lifesaving tool to know when to push or pause your goals. All you need to do is check in with your values.
Start by listing your values. In this case, a value is something that defines your behavior. You should be able to fit every value on your list into the sentence “I want to act …” Sometimes you’ll have different values for different situations and that is very normal. For example, you may want to act silly around your friends but professional at work.
Once you have a long list, grab 2 different highlighters. With the first color, highlight every value that aligns with your goal. Then, in the second color, highlight anything that supports taking a break. Now you have a pros and cons list that goes deep. From there, you can reflect on how you can motivate yourself through your values. Works like a charm!
The Final Word on How to Stay Focused on Your Goals
The most important thing to remember when trying to stay focused on your goals is that people are complex. There is more going on in your life than just work or just health or just anything. Because you are human, this means you will have to sacrifice some goals to achieve others. Only you get to decide what your life balance should look like.
Let me re-phrase. If you decide to pursue your rest goals instead of your career goals, that is okay. It is also fine if you want to push a little bit at work even if it means you go MIA from your social life for a quick minute. Only you get to decide what your life balance should look like!
These 5 journaling hacks are designed to give you focus – not rigidity. A healthy goal plan requires a little flexibility here and there. Mindfulness is key. As long as you are intentional about how you pursue your goals, you are on the right track.
