Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

Natural talent gets far too much credit.

Achieving your goals is less about who you are, and more about what you do.

Here are two ways you can give yourself better odds of succeeding:

Be specific. Be precise about what you are trying to achieve and when you will do it. It’s not enough to say you’ll clean out your inbox three days a week. Write in your calendar the exact days and times so you can hold yourself accountable.

Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t. When trying to change behavior, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the bad habit. Focus on the substitute instead. If you want to keep your temper in check, don’t dwell on the times you’ve lost it. Think about what you will do the next time you get angry.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently” by Heidi Grant Halvorson.

To read that article and join the discussion, please click here.