🛩️ How to Enjoy the Journey

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’re tackling one of the biggest challenges when working toward your goals — actually enjoying the journey. Let’s explore how you can do both without losing steam!

🤔 Why “Enjoy the Journey” Isn’t That Simple

“Focus on enjoying the journey, not reaching the destination.”

You’ve almost certainly heard this productivity cliche at some point.

And sure, there’s a lot of wisdom in it. But no one actually tells you how to do it.

Obviously, the destination you’re trying to reach is important to you for a reason. And the goal itself can be a big motivator.

The sinister flip side of this thought process? Denying yourself happiness, fulfillment, and other good things until after you’ve reached the goal.

How many times have you said things like, “I’ll be happy after I graduate” or, “Once I finally quit this job, my life will be complete”?

Here’s how this negative line of thinking sabotages your efforts:

• 🐢 Progress feels slow — If you’re squinting into the distance, toward the finish line, instead of focusing on the path immediately in front of you, every step you take will feel agonizing.

• 😓 Burnout sneaks up quickly — It’s a lot quicker to achieve any goal with a calm, balanced mind. But operating in a constant state of stress about reaching your goal puts you at risk of burning out sooner, and harder.

• 🎯 The goalpost moves — Your brain loves patterns. Being laser-focused on an outcome means that, once you make it happen, your brain will immediately start looking for the next big thing. Which means that you don’t actually get a chance to bask in all that happiness you promised yourself once you reached the finish line.

So how can you shift your perspective from the destination to the journey? We’ve got you covered with 5 steps you can take!

🚐 How to Enjoy the Ride

Buckle up — we’re showing you how to stop focusing so much on the destination so you can stop, smell the roses, and make some memories along the way.

🛣️ Step 1: Keep your eye on the process, not the outcome

James Clear talks about this a lot in his uber-popular book, Atomic Habits. He says the goal itself is simply a compass or roadmap pointing you in the direction you want to go.

What you need is an itinerary — a plan that’s backed by solid systems, resources, and prep work that will help you reach your destination faster.

Think of it like a long-distance road trip. Simply having your map won’t help you if your car breaks down. But if you pack a spare tire and contact info for emergency roadside assistance, you’ll be able to get back on the road much quicker, and with less stress.

That’s what it means to be focused on the process. If you’re focused on the outcome, you might sit in the driver’s seat for an hour, fuming or sulking, before even trying to fix it. And while it’s important to feel your feelings, bouncing back quickly from setbacks is a skill worth mastering.

📋 Step 2: Track what you’ve done already

If you’re always looking ahead, it can be hard to realize just how far you’ve already gone.

You might be 95% of the way to your goal, but if you’re only looking at that last 5%, it’s easy to forget that you’ve already done most of the work.

Create some kind of progress tracker so you can see not just what you have left to do, but also what you’ve done so far. This will help you see what’s going right, which is great for boosting your confidence.

💆‍♀️ Step 3: Take breaks

Just like you couldn’t complete a big road trip without stopping for gas and a good night’s sleep, you can’t reach your goal without regular pit stops.

Here’s how you can take them (without all the guilt):

• 😴 Build in “off” days — We talked about the stress + recovery formula, used by athletes, in a recent newsletter. The big idea: “Off” days are vital for growth, and non-negotiable for athletes (and they should be for you, too)!

• 🪣 Think in buckets — Some days, you’ll have to devote more time and energy to your “home” or “relationships” buckets than you might’ve liked. This is inevitable, so try to account for it in your plans. Building flexibility into your schedule can help you adapt in real time, too.

• ♻️ Switch it up when you get stuck — Some challenges that seem simple end up being complicated. When this happens, step away for a bit and do something different so your subconscious mind can work on the problem. Or, try a totally different approach.

• 🫂 Reconnect with your circle — Your support network (which includes yourself, btw!) will sustain you through life’s toughest challenges. Lean on them when you need to. And don’t be afraid to reach out first if you haven’t heard from a loved one in a while.

🏆 Step 4: Adopt a mastery mindset

Most people only recognize 2 points on their goal journey: on the way, and arrived.

Really, there are 6 zones to pass through on the way to achieving a goal or mastering a skill — and the stress zone is one of them.

Know this is a natural phase, but it’s one you can defeat with a sprinkle of curiosity and some clever tactics.

Anytime you catch yourself hyperfocusing on a far-away outcome, ask yourself:

• What skills am I building along the way?

• How have I grown from where I first started?

• What do I enjoy about the process?

💝 Step 5: Actively practice gratitude

We know this is a cliche, but hear us out! Pausing for a moment to give thanks for where you are right now is one of the best ways to actually enjoy the ride.

Here are a couple affirmations you can try if you’re feeling uninspired:

• “Future Me” is fondly looking back on all the good things about this era of my life.

• “Past Me” is super proud of where I am today and would admire me if they could meet me.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• The Gap and The Gain (Book) — A must-read on shifting your mindset from what’s missing to how far you’ve come

• Exceptional People Focus On the Process (Video) — A visual breakdown of why winners focus on the process versus the outcome

• This 5-Minute Journal (Journal) — A beloved simple daily practice to help you appreciate the journey!

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Flocus helps you stay intentional with your time so you can make steady progress toward your goals.

Track your tasks, run focus sessions, and create an atmosphere that keeps you grounded with ambient worlds and focus soundscapes.

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That’s it for now! We hope with these steps, you can find joy along the way while staying locked in on what matters.

What part of your journey are you learning to enjoy right now? Hit reply!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team