The early stages of our careers are fraught with blunders. We’re learning, and we stumble. 

With the benefit of hindsight, try this exercise: If you were to start your career again, what 5 things would you do differently? 

Would you emphasise learning a particular skill or ability over any other? Would you place greater emphasis on building certain relationships early on? Would you produce more, take more chances, or be braver than you have been? Perhaps move faster, take on leadership positions, or ditch certain campaigns that took a lot of your time for very little yield? 

This test can clarify your thinking significantly, and your answers will generally remain as relevant today as they might have been starting out. Weed out the truly important from the merely time-consuming and you will more clearly see the path to becoming the top name in your industry.