In business and life, there are a lot of distractions that add up to nothing of value. When you get side tracked and travel off course from your goals, you senselessly burn time and energy. So learn how to cut to the core in all you do, deciding what does and does not have value according to your purpose and productivity. Simply setting solid goals against what has value will naturally, almost instantly form some direction for you. This discipline alone can keep you more on track and focused on what really matters.

To improve your odds at developing direction and staying focused on goal achievement:

Avoid the “Hope Strategy.” Successful people are goal-setters, who don’t “hope” their way through life. Now it can’t hurt to have hope because hope can shape your attitude and outlook in a more positive way. But relying on or using “hope” as a strategy for managing business, including setting goals, is naïve, self-defeating and even dangerous. For example, consider our still uncertain economy. Setting goals based on the hope that things will or are getting better is one of the main reasons why so many companies are drowning in troubled waters today. It’s Ok to be hopeful, but hope is simply not a solution, a means to an end, or a reliable lifeline.

Write out your goals. Putting your goals down on paper moves them from simply being dreams or thoughts in your head to something more tangible and real. When goals are officially recorded, they’re more formalized and likely to inspire disciplined strategies and actions, as well as opportunities for review and assessment. This will deliver lessons learned and, ultimately, if corrective action is taken, the desired success.

Share goals to improve accountability. It can take serious courage, but it’s very important to let at least some trustworthy people in on whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. Why? Simply sharing your goals will make you more accountable to achieving them. For instance, if you’re trying to quit smoking and don’t tell anyone, it’s already like you’re giving yourself permission to fail. But tell your family and a few co-workers that you’re trying to kick the habit, and you’ll suddenly feel more serious about and accountable to your success. Try not to view sharing your goals as something to fear but to embrace. If you fail, own that shortcoming, learn from it, correct the shortcoming, and then move on. If you succeed, learn from and build upon that, too. Then don’t forget, always celebrate whatever it is you’ve achieved!

What’s your #1 distraction?