Quite often, doing what works is easier said than done. You’d expect that taking the most expedient, useful next step would always be the most motivating option—but that’s wishful thinking. In many cases, the opposite is true. Doing “the next right thing,” no matter how manageable, can be the biggest challenge—not because we lack the right intentions, but because we lose sight of them and let the wrong ones take charge.

You can—and indeed should—set all the goals you want. However, if you can’t maintain a state of mind that keeps you on track, reaching those goals can take forever. So here’s something to focus on: take control of your attention. Stop feeding your counter-intentions and refrain from dwelling on perspectives that don’t align with your goals and core values. Instead, direct your attention toward whatever will get you what you want.

Let’s assume you have a specific goal—whether it’s finding a better job, starting a business, getting in shape, achieving world dominance, moving to another country, learning a new skill, becoming the CEO of a large corporation, or finally launching that passion project you’ve been dreaming about. And let’s assume you’re not moving forward as quickly as you’d like. What’s holding you back?

You might not even know. What I often hear is that people feel stuck because their attention gets hijacked by things that drain their energy. In this situation, would you feel better if you could do something about this? I bet you would. So, how about setting the intention to feel 1% better—each and every day? The question is: can you come up with something that makes you feel 1% better than the day before?

Chances are, you can. In fact, when you write this intention down and review it daily, you might find more than one thing that can improve your state by at least 1%. So, make a list. Adding one or several items to this list every day signals to your unconscious mind that this is what it should prioritize. But here’s the trick: this list is not a to-do list, but a “to-intent” list. It’s not about forcing yourself to do anything; it’s about allowing yourself to act in alignment with the intentions that feel important to you, and then take whatever action feels right to you.

Of course, bad days can’t always be avoided. So on the next day, just aim to feel 1% better than you felt on the last decent day. When you aim for 1% improvement, you’ll have many days when you exceed that goal. As long as you stay on track, the good days will make up for the rough ones.

After 30 days, you should notice around a 35% improvement. After three months, you could see a 245% improvement or more—and after a year, things might be 3,350% better.

So, will you do this? Or is it too easy to do?