“If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got” - Albert Einstein

Whether you performed well or even poorly in 2018, the Christmas break makes January a great time to start afresh by developing better habits. Where do you need to focus to maximise your potential?

A new year can see us announce grandiose plans as to how this year will be bigger and better than last year. However, a great way to self-sabotage is to make goals either so big, complex or overwhelming that we’re unable to make a start or be measured on progress. Goals need to be broken down into small attainable and measurable actions to see improvement, make adjustments if necessary and get momentum.

The book The ONE Thing, authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan get more specific about the ONE Thing that delivers extraordinary results: “What's the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

My ONE Thing is simply not to take myself so seriously at work. While it might sound counterproductive, I’ve come to realise that when I do this I seem to function as the best version of myself.

What’s the ONE Thing you want to do differently?

It doesn’t have to be big. In fact, the smaller and more attainable the better. When you decide what it is, ensure it’s:

Scalable – will it scale if work demands increase or your if job responsibilities do?
Sustainable – can you embed behaviours in a way they become the normal way of doing things?
Achievable – can you actually do it?

There’s no better time than January to build your rhythm for a successful year. What’s the ONE Thing you’ll do differently in 2019?