How to Get Refocused When You Get Off Track

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Business (and life, if we’re being honest) is kind of like a rollercoaster.

Some days you are doing really well and are on the up, then other days it may feel like you’re crashing down.

It’s normal to feel like you’ve gone off track either in your motivation, productivity, or routine. 

When life throws you a curveball or gets busy, you may have to readjust and refocus in order to get yourself back on track.

Here are some practical ways you can do just this in your business and life!

How to Get Refocused

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Revisit and reflect on your why, so you can remember why you started 

Whether you’ve gone off track in your work, productivity, or healthy habits, sometimes it helps to just remember your why.

Why did you start in the first place?

Why is it so important for you to get back on and stay on track?

What are you missing out on if you don’t get refocused?

Think about or journal on the answers to these questions.

Once you have your why written down, be sure to revisit it often.

If you can, keep a written or visual representation of your why in a place where you can see it every single day.

This will help ensure that it’s always at the forefront of your mind.

Start introducing things back into your schedule slowly

In order to have the most success with getting refocused, you’ll want to slowly introduce things back into your routine.

It may be a morning workout, jotting down a few things you’re grateful for each day, or something totally different, but whatever it is, try not to go from 0 to 100 right away.

Instead, start with just one step that moves you towards where you’d like to be.

Instead of running four miles in the morning after not running for months, try running one mile. Bump it up to two miles in a week or two.

Eventually, you’ll feel confident in running four miles without absolutely dreading it (or hurting yourself).

Work with an accountability buddy

Accountability just might be the secret to staying on track with your goals.

When you know there is someone there to check in on you and make sure you are always moving forward, then you are more likely to stay motivated.

Try to find an accountability buddy to help you out in this area. This can be a trusted friend or family member.

It also can be even more effective if this person is working towards the same outcome!

Make things as easy on yourself as possible

Do whatever you can to make getting refocused as easy on yourself as possible.

Minimize any friction that could slow you down and stand in the way of your goals.

For example, if you are trying to get back on track with your eating habits, then throw out the junk food and stock your house with healthy fruits and vegetables.

If you are trying to get back on track with your morning workouts, then try to set out your exercise clothes before bed each night.

When things feel easy for you, you’ll be more likely to follow through with them.

Utilize habit stacking

Turning certain tasks into habits can really help you refocus.

Habit stacking is a method outlined in-depth in James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits.

Essentially, the way habit stacking works is that you sandwich a new habit right between two existing habits.

For example, if you’d like to start meditating each morning and you usually make a cup of coffee then sit down to journal, try making a cup of coffee, meditating, and then sitting down to journal.

Over time, this new habit will just feel like part of your routine.

Create a reward system for yourself

It’s important to have some sort of reward system when you are doing something challenging.

Oftentimes, getting refocused can be challenging and uncomfortable, and that is where this reward system comes into play.

Break your goal down into bite-size pieces, and connect each piece to a reward.

It might be buying your favorite ice cream, going out to a fancy restaurant, getting your hair done, or even taking a vacation! 

Break large items down into more digestible pieces

Just as you want to slowly reintroduce things back into your schedule, you also want to break everything down into manageable steps.

If you are glaring at something like “lose 10 pounds” or “hit 6-figures in my business this year”, it’s going to be awfully intimidating.

Break down these large goals that you may have fallen off track in achieving into step by step tasks or actions.

For losing weight, this may be drinking X amount of water and eating Y servings of vegetables today.

For the business goal, maybe this is launching your new program by X date and hiring a social media manager.

When you look at the smaller tasks and not the overwhelming project, you’ll feel much more confident that you can get yourself back on track in no time.

Focus on the present moment and eliminate distractions

Sometimes we just lose our focus, because we get distracted! It’s only part of being human, especially in a world when every single thing could be a distraction.

Do your best to focus on the present moment.

You can practice mindfulness techniques like breathwork or meditation for this.

It also helps to eliminate anything that could be distracting you, like the notifications on your cell phone or the sound from the television.

Give yourself some grace

Falling off track is normal.

Having to take some time to regroup and refocus is normal, too. We all go through seasons of life that pull us away from our goals, and wanting to get back on track means you’re already halfway there.

Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace—this is all just part of life.

Final Thoughts

Humans have “squirrel brain” or “monkey brain” from time to time, which essentially means that going off track is almost in our DNA.

It’s okay to get dragged away from work or your goals, and following these strategies will help you get refocused and back on track in no time. 

Make things simple for you and revisit your why as frequently as you can.

You are very capable of doing everything that you set your mind to. You just need to believe it!