Three Questions to Get Unstuck & Move Toward Your Goals

Getting started can be one of the most difficult parts in achieving our goals. Keeping up the momentum can also be a struggle.

It can sometimes feel like we've suddenly hit a wall - we can't decide on what we should do next and we're not 'getting anywhere'. We can't seem to even pull ourselves into any sort of action mode. We're definitely STUCK.

We stare at our notebook or computer screen for a while and then decide it's time for yet ANOTHER cup of tea... or maybe a bicky. We flick between our 4 email accounts (diverting from our goals) and end up 'researching other things'. We decide to quickly reply to a Facebook message and then end up on Youtube... We realize we just got way off track! so we go back to our inbox to see if Beryl has replied yet. Beryl hasn't, but Jo Jo has sent us an email so we decide to send a quick reply to her - and so the cycle continues!

The hours tick by and while we feel very busy, we've been totally unproductive in taking real steps towards our personal goals and at the end of it, we gasp at how we got absolutely nothing done! (yes, we're all guilty of it!)

Most of us are masters at diverting our attention to a zillion other 'things' that ultimately, pull us away from our goals instead of towards them. So if you're in this 'stuck' phase, or you've seen the light about your personal habits of diversion, don't despair - there is a way out!

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week mentions paper shuffling as being endemic in the 9-5 world. I think that's where many of us cultivate this bad habit of diversion and lack of focus, and we operate this way while striving for our personal goals as well. We learn to 'look busy' for the 8 hours a day when we're at work, and indulge in unfocused, meaningless tasks and so called 'work'.

TAKING ACTION and FOCUSING our attention and energy 100%, on high impact tasks, will move us forward towards our goals. High impact is the key here -these are the most important tasks that will have the most impact.

I've just finished reading The 4-Hour Work Week (which is an awesome book by the way), and Tim Ferriss shares many valuable insights and suggests some powerful questions to ask ourselves in the pursuit of our dreams.

Here are 3 questions from the book that have assisted me in my quest to stay focused, be productive, and continually move forward:

1. What are the top 3 activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I've been productive? This requires a brutally honest answer! We usually do these things to postpone something more important, something we feel uncomfortable doing. What are your crutch activites? (I listed a few above already which, you guessed it, are MY crutch activities)

2. Learn to ask "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?" Always have a clear list of priorities - at least a to-do list that you've prepared the night before and choose the most important, high impact tasks. Ask yourself this question if you can't decide which task to actually do. You should have at most, 2 primary goals or tasks per day - high impact tasks that will give you a sense of achievement and to which your answer to this question would be a definite, yes. Some of these high impact activities may take you way out of your comfort zone - but these are challenges that build great momentum!

3. Put a post-it note on your computer screen or set a reminder to alert you at least 3 times a day with the question - "Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?" I love this one! It's amazing how easily our attention can get diverted and we avoid things we should be doing, so this really helps to refocus your attention on what's important.

In the daily battle to stay motivated and focused, ask yourself the questions above. They will help you to refocus your attention and energy, and you'll no doubt move through the temporary rut you've found yourself in.

One thing you shouldn't do is give up and set your dreams aside. Everyone that has ever attempted to reach a goal experiences lulls, setbacks, obstacles, negative states of mind, fears and fierce battles with the self.

Did you know that Thomas Edison, who invented the lightbulb, failed more than 10,000 times??? YES, more than 10,0000!! Now that's persistence. And that's inspiring.

Keep the momentum going with continuous ACTION. The effort that you put in today builds on your previous efforts, and with every step forward the process gets easier.

Build the momentum by focusing with all your might on those high impact tasks (no diverting!). Aim to achieve the tasks you have big resistance to - the ones that may take you out of your comfort zone, as these are the ones that will really move you forward (high impact).

You will experience amazing energy shifts if you do, and be blessed with a renewed enthusiasm and a feeling of empowerment. Momentum will start to build quickly, and you'll be catapulted towards your dreams!