Thrive In 2023 And Beyond: 10 Power Habits To Focus On What Really Matters To You
Are you hoping to make your life more meaningful in 2023? Are you looking to keep yourself focused on your highest hopes, dreams, and goals in the new year? If so, consider adopting these ten power habits to help you focus on what really matters most to you.
Use mantras to reiterate the most important parts of your life to yourself.
Using mantras, also known as short and easily repeatable phrases, is an excellent way to remind yourself of what is most important to you. When you’re feeling especially stressed or distracted, you can use mantras to refocus yourself on what matters most to you. Some examples of mantras you can use include…
- I am focused.
- I can handle difficult tasks.
- I can go after what I want.
- I have the power to tackle this problem.
Take time to reflect on your life on a regular basis.
Getting into the habit of regularly reflecting on your life is a great way to keep yourself focused on what matters most to you. When you follow the same patterns, schedules and routines without questioning or analyzing them, you may be doing certain activities out of habit rather than necessity. Take time to regularly reflect on your life — these regular reflections can help you identify parts of your life that need changing and can help you maintain focus on what matters most to you.
Ditch the idea of multitasking by focusing on a single task at a time.
Many people (especially some employers) preach the wonders of multitasking. Unfortunately…multitasking is actually a huge myth! Trying to focus on more than one task at a time rarely leads to quality work. Instead, you’ll likely find yourself making mistakes more frequently when you attempt to multitask. Get into the habit of focusing on a single task at a time. In the long run, attacking your workload with this approach will make it much easier for you to focus on what really matters instead of getting lost in a whirlwind of useless details.
Make sure you are getting plenty of good, quality sleep.
It is much easier to focus — especially on what is most important to you — when you are feeling well-rested. Get into the habit of going to bed at a reasonable hour each night so you can get plenty of good, quality sleep. Trying to focus on anything when you’re feeling totally exhausted is nearly impossible; getting lots of good sleep is not only good for your physical health, but your mental health and ability to focus as well.
Stick to some basic routines to automate the more predictable parts of your day.
Having routines sometimes gets a bad rap. Implementing some useful routines into your day can help automate the “everyday” parts of life, taking a lot of the energy, effort, and struggle to keep things moving smoothly off your plate. For example, if you have a good, solid routine for preparing dinners during the workweek or getting ready for bed, you don’t have to think too hard about what’s for dinner or whether you’re going to get enough sleep. These types of routines can help simplify and uncomplicate these parts of your life by making them predictable, which gives you more mental energy to focus on what really matters most to you.
Spend more time with folks who share your goals and interests in life.
The people you spend the majority of your time with have a big impact on your overall attitude. Get into the habit of spending more time around people who share your goals and interests. Being in a group of like-minded people makes it much easier to stay focused on what really matters to you; their excitement and interest is often infectious, inspiring you to also maintain a high level of focus on your shared interests and common goals.
Model your decision making by whatever option best aligns with what matters most to you.
Every decision you make — even the smallest, most mundane and routine ones — have the power to impact your ability to focus. When you find yourself faced with any decision you need to make, try doing it with what matters most to you in mind. For example, if you are faced with the common decision to either stay up late or go to bed on time, weigh this decision against a big goal, such as passing a really hard class. Between these two choices, one of them better aligns with passing that course. If you go to bed on time, you’ll feel better-rested for the class the next day. Getting into the habit of aligning your decision making with what matters most to you is a great way to keep your focus where it needs to be.
Keep a “brain dump” journal.
Are you often plagued by random thoughts that interrupt your work flow? If this problem sounds familiar, get into the habit of keeping a brain dump journal. This journal functions exactly as its name implies — it is a place for all those random thoughts to go so you can revisit them later, at a more appropriate time. Getting into the habit of getting these niggling little thoughts out of your mind is an excellent way to stay focused on what really matters to you without forgetting these little thoughts later, when you have more time to explore them.
Work in distraction-free environments whenever possible.
In a world full of tempting distractions, it’s a wonder anyone is able to focus on anything! Get into the habit of working in distraction-free environments. For example, you may choose to remove television sets or your smartphone from your home office so you aren’t tempted to stream shows or scroll mindlessly. Distraction-free workspaces are excellent for helping you maintain focus on what matters most.
Make movement and exercise an essential part of your day.
Get into the habit of regularly moving and exercising throughout the day. When you keep yourself moving, you are also keeping a steady flow of oxygenated blood flowing toward your brain. Taking time to move around is a great way to keep your mind and body alert, making it much easier to focus on what really matters to you.
