My first book is called How to Be Brilliant with a strapline of ‘Change your ways in 90 days’. I love 90-day plans. They are short enough to create a buzz and excitement but long enough to get results.

I once worked with an area office of a well-known international bank. Out of 86 areas in the UK these guys were rated as 86th. I love taking on jobs like that – there is only one way to go! When I met the new area director (who was invited to ‘fix it’) he said that he wanted to ‘turn things around in the coming year’.

‘Let’s go for 90 days’, I suggested. And with a bit of persuasion, we did. Everyone started with their own 90-day plan, broken down into three 30-day projects with 7-day starts, 14-day middles and 7-day ends. And the results? They went from 86 to number 9, then in the following 90 days to number 6!

You will be amazed at what you can achieve in 90 days

Here are 4 possible areas and suggestions on actions designed to inspire you to take action over the next 90 days. You could make them all happen.

Get fit

It doesn’t take years to get fit – it takes 90 days. You could devise a training programme now that will build your stamina, get you motivated and make you feel great. No matter how much of a slob you are, in 90 days you can change.

Have a major clear out

In 90 days you can throw out your rubbish, tidy your wardrobes, decorate, do the garden and sort out your paperwork. The energy you’ll create by doing this will spur you on to greater things.

Book, prepare for and go on an adventure

Take a look at your diary, find the date closest to 90 days from now and write the word HOLIDAY or ADVENTURE in big bold letters across each day for a week or so. Visit a high street travel agent (much more exciting than doing it online) and ask them for suggestions to fit your tastes and budget.

Find a new job

It takes around 90 days from commitment to your first day once you have made up your mind to get a new job.

Andy Hampton decided that he would get a new job in the next 90 days and wrote it down. He took massive action and started a proactive search – that means he did more than read the papers. He registered with agencies, told friends what he was doing and called the companies he wanted to work for. Sixty-seven days later he started his new job in a field he loved and (here’s the best bit) doubled his salary.

Once you have decided what it’s going to be, it’s all about the action. Just knowing what you want and that you want to achieve it in the short term is OK but the real secret is to take massive action now to achieve it. What needs to happen in the next 7 days or even the next 24 hours?