After years of working with many clients to help them achieve their goals, the most common mistake I see people make is trying to find a magic bullet for better results without first changing their thinking. Only by transforming your mindset and emotional state can you take new action leading to new habits that will help you achieve more exciting goals.

Many of my clients look for answers in books, yet books don’t have the secret. There’s nothing wrong with books but reading a book to learn how to drive a car usually doesn’t work. You may obtain lots of new knowledge, but you won’t get new results.

Next, many people look for a new time management system or the latest hack to help them become more efficient, rather than becoming more effective by doing the right things, in the right order, to achieve their most important goals. Foundations of time management will always deliver the best results. As Peter Drucker said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Another common trap people fall into is getting ready to get ready. Constantly organizing their office, environment, and business development systems. There is a time and place for getting organized, but this will not lead to better results.

And then there’s the ultimate time suck — social media and looking for all the ways they can capitalize in the digital world. People will create a Facebook page, Instagram page, TikTok account, LinkedIn profile, website, an X account, all in the hopes that people will find them and buy from them. Remember, “hopeium” is a dangerous drug to be playing with these days. The real key is to make yourself valuable so people will seek you out.

The only thing that will truly get you new results this year is to change your thinking, change your emotions, and change your behavior. This can only be done by leveraging your assets and minimizing your biases. Learn more at Achievable.com.