I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know what crucial, transformative habit is going to help you get a great new job, or a promotion at your current one.
You can answer this question better than I can. What single action, if done every day without fail, would powerfully move you toward your goal?
Habit is a mighty force.
There are undoubtedly many good habits that would benefit you, but working on a long list of habits is like trying to keep New Year’s resolutions. Most people fail at this approach.
Instead, give special attention to a Single Daily Action that you commit to doing no matter what. If you do this one thing, you’re planting a seed of success in each day, fueling the rest of your endeavors.
It must be something specific and finite that can definitely be checked off as “done” for the day. Not “Network more,” but “Spend 30 minutes per day approaching individuals to request networking one-on-ones.” Not “Be kind to myself,” but “Spend 10 minutes doing a loving-kindness meditation.” Not “Eat healthy,” but “Enjoy a balanced breakfast including protein and whole fruit.”
Make it easy enough that you can definitely see yourself doing it consistently.
Write down a few possibilities, then pick the one you feel would make the biggest difference. The other ideas may be useful, but be sure to commit to that top choice. Decide that if nothing else gets done all day, that one thing will happen every day.
Once you’ve chosen your Single Daily Action, stick with it a week and see how it works. If you did it and it doesn’t seem to get results, you might want to try a different action. If you didn’t do it, troubleshoot that. Try rewarding yourself after your action, piggybacking it on an existing habit, reading articles about habit change, working with a buddy on it, or simply starting with an easier habit.
You might even tweet or blog about your Single Daily Action. Here’s mine: I’m spending a few minutes each morning visualizing success in whatever area of my life calls for my attention that day. For example, yesterday I visualized myself using good time management all day and being very productive. I think it helped – I kicked butt! (Some people might want to visualize about the same issue each day, but I thought it would be better to focus on whatever is “up.”)
Let me know how it goes with your Single Daily Action.
