New research commissioned by Amazon today reveals that while three-quarters (76%) of Australians have set themselves professional or personal goals, a staggering 37% admit they’ve made little to no real progress towards achieving them in the past 12 months, exposing a critical “aspiration gap” between what we want to accomplish and what we actually do.
Yes, Australia is a nation of big dreamers, and many are struggling to take the first step.
The findings reveal a nation full of ambition, with one in five (20%) Australians dreaming of starting their own business, 16% wanting to turn their hobby into a profession, and 11% aspiring to write and publish a book. Yet the overwhelming majority don’t know where to begin – or can’t find the headspace to start.
When asked what’s preventing them from pursuing their aspirations, professionals pointed to a familiar set of modern-day blockers: difficulty staying focused (29%), too many distractions (20%), and lack of clear planning or organisation (19%).
The emotional toll is significant. When Australians aren’t making progress towards their goals, a third (33%) feel frustrated and disappointed, while a quarter (25%) feel more stressed and anxious, and one in four (25%) feel doubtful in their abilities.
Digital noise is also sabotaging professional ambition, as 58% of goal-setters agree that digital distractions negatively impact their ability to achieve their goals, rising to 72% among 18-24 and 25-34 year olds. On a typical working day, 39% of Australians are interrupted by a digital distraction within just 30 minutes of starting a task.
Perhaps most striking: nearly six in ten (58%) of the nation frequently forget ideas because they can’t record them in time. The constant pull of the internet is taking a clear toll on focus, 92% of working Australians say their creativity or ability to think deeply is limited when working on a device with constant internet access. Even when ideas do surface, they rarely stick – over half (58%) frequently forget them because they can’t capture them quickly enough.
Among those actively working towards goals, the features they value most in a tool tell a clear story: the ability to capture and organise thoughts quickly (34%), search and find information instantly (32%), and help with focus and clear thinking (27%).
Purpose-built for professionals who want to think more clearly and capture ideas without digital interruption, Kindle Scribe offers a paper-like writing experience with no distractions. Notes can be organised into folders and notebooks, and handwritten text is fully searchable — meaning ideas captured in the moment can always be found when needed. With weeks of battery life and a lightweight, portable design, it gives professionals a dedicated space to plan, create, and make progress on the goals that matter to them.
To demonstrate how this aspiration gap can be bridged — and to mark the launch of the all-new Kindle Scribe — Amazon has partnered with Allira Potter, Spiritual Coach & Content Creator to showcase the benefits of Kindle Scribe to achieve goals.
“I think so many of us are functioning on autopilot and we don’t even realise it. You’re always reacting to something. It might be your phone, your inbox, someone else’s urgency, and then you wonder why you can’t actually sit down and think clearly about the things that matter to you. I see it all the time with my clients. People have these big goals and dreams but they’re so overstimulated that they can’t even hear their own thoughts. Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is such a beautiful tool to do your brain dumps and actually slow down without all the noise. When something is that easy to pick up and use, it just naturally becomes part of your daily routine and honestly, that’s where the good stuff comes through,” said Potter.
“Customers have already been placing their pre-orders for Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, which is really telling. Our research found that more than half of Australians who set goals say digital distractions are getting in the way of their progress, while nearly 60 per cent say they frequently lose ideas because they can’t capture them quickly enough. That’s a real challenge for a nation full of people with big, ambitious ideas. Kindle Scribe Colorsoft gives people a distraction-free space to capture ideas as they occur, organise thinking, and make meaningful progress towards the goals that matter most. We know this is a product customers are going to find genuinely helpful” said Jacqui Corbett, Country Manager, Head of Amazon Devices, ANZ.
The Kindle Scribe is available to buy from today at amazon.com.au. All devices come with a premium pen that magnetically attaches and never needs charging.
- Kindle Scribe | from A$849 (32GB) and $949 (64GB)
- Kindle Scribe Colorsoft | from $999 (32GB) and $1099 (64GB)
- Kindle Scribe without Front light | A$699
