One of the most powerful techniques for improving your performance is deliberate practice. When you go through the motions, your skill level is unlikely to improve in a given situation. Structuring practice to deliberately focus on a particular element of a skill is the way to break through the plateau of your existing skills.
There are a lot of details to deliberate practice that can be refined—if you’re interested, you should look into works like Peak by Anders Ericcson. Today is not about those details. This post is about a simple element of deliberate practice that can be incorporated easily into your daily work. That element is calling your shots.
Calling your shots is easy. Before you go to use a skill, identify to yourself something specific that you will focus on doing better. The more concrete you can make your goal, the more likely you are to be successful.
It sounds simple, but it works because it sets your intention on one particular element of the skill. Try calling your shots consistently over the course of a week, and see how much your execution improves!