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What if you didn’t have to wait until the new year to make radical changes in your life?

What if you could start now and carry that momentum through the holidays and into 2025?

As you guessed by now, you clearly don’t have to wait. 

Today I’ll share a simple process that allows you to make continuous improvement in your personal or professional life. 

No more wondering if you’re focusing on what matters most, or hoping things eventually get better. 

Today, at a glance:

• Learn how to use the Start, Stop, Continue, Change model to identify areas for improvement and optimize your time, energy, and focus.
• Apply the model across different areas of life—professionally, in physical health, and in your personal life—for continuous growth.
• Commit to a weekly practice to stay focused on what truly matters and to enhance performance.

Read time: 3.5 minutes

The Continuous Improvement Model

Start, Stop, Continue and Change is an assessment tool that can be used to continually improve performance in your personal or professional life. 

This tool will help you identify areas of opportunity, optimization and wasted effort so you can get the most out of time, energy and talent. 

I’ll provide you with a definition for each part of the model, then share examples of how it could be applied to different situations. 

Start: Identify new actions, behaviors, or strategies that should be adopted to improve outcomes or processes.

Stop: Recognize actions or behaviors that are unproductive or detrimental and need to be discontinued.

Change: Focus on adjustments or modifications to current behaviors, processes, or strategies to achieve better results.

Continue: Highlight actions or behaviors that are working well and should be maintained or reinforced.

Ok, ready to get more specific? Here’s how you can use this model in different aspects of your life. 

Professional

• Start scheduling focused, distraction-free work blocks to enhance productivity.
• Stop multitasking during meetings to give full attention to discussions.
• Change your approach to delegation by trusting your team with more responsibility.
• Continue networking consistently to build meaningful professional connections.

Physical Health

• Start incorporating mobility exercises into your routine to improve flexibility.
• Stop eating late at night to support better digestion and sleep.
• Change your workout routine to avoid plateaus and keep progress steady.
• Continue regular strength training to maintain muscle and overall fitness.

Personal Life

• Start setting aside dedicated time each week for hobbies or creative outlets.
• Stop checking work emails after dinner to create better work-life boundaries.
• Change how you manage conflicts by addressing issues sooner, rather than letting them build up.
• Continue practicing gratitude daily to maintain a positive mindset.

Improvement in Action

I go through this exercise on a weekly basis and I’m surprised at how many low-value, time-wasting tasks I’ve stopped doing. 

On a brighter note, it’s a good opportunity to realize the benefit of continually looking for areas of improvement and optimization. 

Here are the outcomes of my recent experience with the model. 

• Start blocking off Mondays and Fridays for deep work and creative sprints
• Stop taking meetings without a clear agenda or outcome
• Continue building out content for Savage Nation and the upcoming 7 day challenge
• Change my social media content to focus more on lifestyle design 

These adjustments are relatively simple but can lead to powerful outcomes. It’s also a strategic approach to make intentional progress toward your goals and eliminate wasted effort. 

So now it’s your turn. 

Block off 15 minutes this week to complete the Start, Stop, Continue and Change activity for your business. 

Then, continue doing so on a weekly basis going forward.

Terry’s Recommendation Zone

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That’s it for now, but here’s a quick recap:

• Try the Start, Stop, Continue, Change model to fine-tune how you spend your time, energy, and focus.
• Apply this approach to all areas of your life—work, health, and personal well-being—for steady improvement.
• Make it a habit to review your progress each week, ensuring you’re always aligned with what truly matters.

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