MOTIVATIONWrite Down Your Goals
Here’s the thing about goals: Your brain is basically a Golden Retriever — it means well, but gets distracted by literally everything. Writing down your goals is like giving that Golden Retriever a map. Suddenly they know where they’re going. Science backs this up (author James Clear, organizational psychologist Richard Rohr, other smart people). Keep your goals vague enough to start, but specific enough that you can’t just keep “thinking about it.” You’re not trying to become a grinding robot. You’re trying to grow like a normal human. When creating your 2026 goals, write the big stuff down. Five minutes. One page. Done.
COMMUNICATIONShare Stories, Not Lectures
You know what’s never worked in the history of management? Nagging. Kerry Patterson, who coauthored Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, says people don’t change because you lecture them — they change because a story shows them what actually matters. Tell them about the product recommendation that inadvertently resulted in a vet visit. Share the results of a client who left a glowing review. Stories stick because they’re real. Lectures just make people tune you out while nodding politely.
PRODUCTIVITYProtect Your Two Golden Hours
Josh Davis, director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done, says to carve out one daily two-hour block at your peak energy. Treat it like sacred ground — no interruptions allowed. You’ll get more done in that window than in two distracted days of “busy.” Everything else? Schedule it for when you’re running on fumes.
SELF-IMPROVEMENTBe a Little Less Positive
Endless optimism can actually block progress. New York University psychology professor Dr. Gabriele Oettigen found that people who only imagine success often lose motivation to act. She recommends “mental contrasting:” picture your goal, then map the barriers. Obstacles stop being scary when they’re part of the plan. A dose of realism beats empty cheer every time.
TIME MANAGEMENTWait Before You Commit
Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman refuses to say yes immediately to requests, invitations or commitments. His line: “Thanks for the invite. I don’t say yes on the spot, but I’ll let you know.” Which is polite, but firm. Derek Sivers takes it further: If it’s not a “Hell yeah,” it’s automatically a “No.” Start doing this, and future you will be less stressed, less overbooked, and significantly less cranky about commitments past-you made.
LEADERSHIPLead From the Front
Culture is set at the top. Business author Tom Peters advises: “Give a lot, expect a lot, and if you don’t get it, prune.” It sounds blunt, but it’s about clarity — establish standards, communicate them, and support your team so they can deliver. Or, as Gandhi put it more elegantly: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
STRATEGYDoing Nothing Is an Option
Not every “quick tweak” improves your business. Jason Fried, co-founder of Basecamp and author of It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, says, “Nothing should always be on the table.” His team lets every new idea sit for a few weeks. Weak ones die on their own. Strong ones keep bugging you until you act. Sometimes the smartest move is to wait.
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