Author and productivity consultant David Allen once said, “You can do anything—but not everything.” Allen’s wise words suggest that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. However, limitations such as time and energy require you to be selective about your pursuits. In other words, you must choose your focus and then fully engage in the specific goal or dream that matters most to you.
With this guiding light, you can also learn how to prioritize your days and stay focused as you complete more granular tasks—both at work and at home. Since focus is a building block for many thinking processes, including learning, memory, problem-solving and decision-making, it’s a critical skill to have in your back pocket. Not to mention one that can help you realize better outcomes like greater productivity and enhanced mental well-being.
The following library of focus quotes can keep you on track and motivated to achieve your life goals. You’ll also find some helpful tips on improving your concentration as you navigate daily challenges.
‘Stay Focused’ Quotes for Motivation
The entire impetus for staying focused is the end goal. To dial in, it’s important to establish what that final destination is—and be relentless in your pursuit. A few wise tips for staying focused include:
- Setting clear goals
- Establishing a consistent routine
- Eliminating distractions
- Rewarding yourself
- Practicing healthy habits like mindfulness
- Remembering to rest
But, above all else, constant reminders of why you started and a clear vision of where you’re going are key. The following quotes on staying focused can help boost your motivation and urge you to never give up, even when things get hard.
- “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days.” —Zig Ziglar
- “Stay focused on your mission, remain steadfast in your pursuit of excellence, and always do the right thing.” —Mark Esper
- “You have to stay focused and be mentally tough. That’s what I’ve really learned. Every day is a grind and you have to go hard.” —Chris Gronkowski
- “I’m focused on what I’m doing and nothing can stop that.” —Tyga
- “What you focus on in your life grows.” —Robin Sharma, Who Will Cry When You Die?
- “We like to think of distraction as the enemy of focus. It is not. It is a symptom of why we find it difficult to focus, which is the fact that our mind is overstimulated.” —Chris Bailey
- “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.” —Earl Nightingale
- “To ignite your life you must focus on one thing long enough for it to catch fire.” —Gary Keller, The One Thing
- “The biggest challenge is to stay focused. It’s to have the discipline when there are so many competing things.” —Alexa Hirschfeld
- “No matter how much it hurts, you gotta stay focused on what you’re there for and your goals. Just don’t give up.” —Stephen Thompson
Related: 45 Perseverance Quotes to Inspire Determination & Endurance
Inspirational Focus Quotes to Help You Succeed at Work
The theme of focus comes up consistently in the realm of work. We talk about it most often in a sense of day-to-day focus, or the act of staying engaged and attentive in order to reduce stress and increase productivity (which we’ll get to later).
However, our careers also require a more overarching driving force. The following “focus on work” quotes discuss the importance of focus and the instrumental role it plays in realizing professional success. Take a cue from successful individuals like top athletes and business people, who have worked hard and thrown everything they have into their passion.
- “Where focus goes, energy flows. And where energy flows, whatever you’re focusing on grows. In other words, your life is controlled by what you focus on. That’s why you need to focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.” —Tony Robbins
- “Focus on what lights a fire inside of you and use that passion to fill a white space. Don’t be afraid of the challenges, the missteps and the setbacks along the way. What matters is that you keep going.” —Kendra Scott
- “From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life.” —Anaïs Nin
- “Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them.” —Jack Canfield
- “Each day you can awake and focus on small, easy goals you can accomplish in the short term—goals that, over time, will lead you to your long-term goal.” —Karen Salmansohn
- “Effective executives know that they have to get many things done—and done effectively. Therefore, they concentrate—their own time and energy as well as that of their organization—on doing one thing at a time, and on doing first things first.” —Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive
- “Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both.” —Dwayne Johnson
- “For leaders to get results they need all three kinds of focus. Inner focus attunes us to our intuitions, guiding values and better decisions. Other focus smooths our connections to the people in our lives. And outer focus lets us navigate in the larger world.” —Daniel Goleman, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
- “To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” —Giorgio Armani
- “Focused, hard work is the real key to success.” —John Carmack
Related: 40 Consistency Quotes to Help Kick-Start Your Future
‘Focus, Focus, Focus’ Quotes to Help You Dial In
The following “remain focused” quotes belong on a bathroom mirror, Post-it note or in a motivational Instagram caption. Written exclusively for SUCCESS®, these short phrases are meant to refocus your mind and keep you locked in. Repeat them daily to keep that determination and fire burning.
- “Success doesn’t come free. Decide what’s most important and go after it wholeheartedly, leaving all else behind.”
- “When you silence the noise, your dreams begin to come into focus.”
- “Focus and don’t succumb to distractions.”
- “Keep your eyes on your prize, whatever that may be.”
- “Concentrate on yourself and what you can control. Anything else is a waste of time.”
- “Splitting your focus between too many endeavors won’t serve you in the end.”
- “What you choose to focus on says a lot about you. Choose wisely.”
- “You don’t have to change your entire environment, just change what you’re focusing on.”
- “Stay focused and keep moving forward one step at a time.”
- “Focus on finding the good in every single day.”
Related: How to Create the Perfect Conditions for Deep Focus
Short Focus Quotes to Improve Concentration & Mental Attention
Mental focus requires concentration and a concerted effort to remain engrossed in the task at hand. Learning to put those metaphorical blinders on has a lot to do with focusing on the present moment—something that can be accomplished through meditation, mindfulness or just concentrated thinking. This allows us to clear our minds, find clarity and establish the best path forward. Use these short focus quotes to dive deeper into this complex topic of mental attention.
- “Concentrate all your thought upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” —Alexander Graham Bell
- “Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life
- “It’s very important that we relearn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus and find creative solutions to problems.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
- “Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore.” —James Clear
- “When you are single-minded, you are one-dimensional. Your mind becomes narrower and narrower and narrower and remains focused on one point. This is concentration.” —Osho
- “Learning to focus the mind, to concentrate attention in the present moment is very beneficial, that the more the mind wanders into the past and future, the more attention is fragmented, the more vulnerable we are to poor emotional health.” —Andrew Weil
- “To focus means to bring your attention to the center, to concentrate on one thing intently in order to gain clarity.” —Cheryl Richardson, Life Makeovers
- “Take each day as it comes and focus on the present moment.” —Vera Lynn
- “Clarity affords focus.” —Thomas Leonard
- “Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” —Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
Positive Focus Sayings to Push You Toward Productivity
Some studies suggest that the ability to focus at work has a direct impact on how we make decisions, the quality of our outputs and our productivity. Concentrating on one task at a time is a crucial piece of this concept, as our brains are not equipped to multitask or jump quickly from project to project.
Methods like time blocking and the Pomodoro Technique of working in focused 25-minute intervals can help. These “keep your focus” quotes can also redirect your attention to what matters so you can continue to work toward your personal and professional goals.
- “Proactive people focus their efforts in the circle of influence. They work on the things they can do something about.” —Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” —Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Work Week
- “Multitasking is merely the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.” —Steve Uzzell
- “Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task.” —Tom Rath, Eat Move Sleep
- “People don’t obtain results by focusing on results. Results are attained by focusing on that which produces results, not the results themselves.” —Mike Hawkins
- “You think focusing is saying yes. No. Focusing is about saying no.” —Steve Jobs
- “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” —Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom for Daily Living
- “You don’t need more time, you just need to decide.” —Seth Godin
- “A quick burst of positive emotions doesn’t just broaden our cognitive capacity; it also provides a quick and powerful antidote to stress and anxiety, which in turn improves our focus and our ability to function at our best level.” —Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage
- “Focus only on one task at hand. And don’t start another till that one is completely done.” —Vivek Naik, Get More Done Easily
Stay on Track With Quotes About Focusing
In life, there will always be distractions trying to lure you off course. But they don’t have to prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Focus is the superpower that staves off this derailment. Spending your time with intention and concentrating on one objective at a time can ultimately bring you closer to where you want to be.
If you can learn to center your mind and push forward with determination—even if it’s just one baby step at a time—you’ll be well on your way to a successful journey. These motivational focus quotes, inspiring sayings and powerful affirmations remind us of this truth and urge us to stay focused no matter the odds.
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