Productivity Hack: Pick Your One Thing and Actually Finish It This Year

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Remember last week when I asked you to pick your “one thing” to focus on before the year’s out? Well, you showed up. And I’ve gotta say, your replies were so damn good, I can’t keep them to myself.

Here are some of the “one things” you shared:

• Put away all the clothes that aren’t in the bedroom closet (or let them go for good).
• Sort the pile of books and papers that have been camped on the couch for months.
• Finally write the first chapter of that book that’s been begging to get out.
• Stop repeating the same goals every year: pay off 1 credit card, lose weight, declutter one room.
• Complete a Diploma in Counseling before the new year starts.
• Meal-prep twice a week to dodge the 6 p.m. “what’s for dinner?” panic.
• Install a new sump pump in the basement.
• Launch the website for a side hustle that’s been in the “someday” pile forever.

Pretty awesome goals, eh?

But here’s the truth: if we leave it at that, most won’t get done—not because you’re incapable, but because big, intimidating projects get avoided unless you break them down.

So here are a few tips to keep your own “one thing” moving forward:

1. Shrink it down. If your action feels too big, you won’t do it. Make it embarrassingly small. (That’s the magic.)
2. Time it. Give it a when. “Work on my book” becomes “write for 20 minutes on Thursday at 7 p.m.”
3. Tell someone. Accountability is jet fuel. Whether it’s me, a friend, or replying to this email – don’t keep it to yourself.

Fair warning: clutter – whether in your space, your calendar, or your head – loves to creep in and distract you. But when you’ve got clarity on your “one thing,” it’s a whole lot easier to see clutter for what it really is: a stall tactic.

So if you haven’t picked your “one thing” yet, now’s your chance. And if you have? I’d love an update. What’s your next tiny step?

I wish you space and clarity,

P.S. With my Coach in Your Pocket bundle, you’ll get 12 short audio workshops + workbooks (one per month) designed to keep you moving. You can listen in order, binge them all at once, or grab the topic you need in the moment. It’s your coaching toolkit, and it’s 1/2 price right now: Coach in Your Pocket.