Save your New Year’s resolutions for March, the case for a slow morning, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

Hold your New Year’s resolutions for March: You’re more likely to stick to all the things you want to change if you take some time to plan, argues University of Texas psychology professor Art Markman. “Behavior change is often two steps forward and one step back,” Markman writes. Give yourself eight weeks to figure out your current habits, identify potential obstacles that may get in your way and come up with a strategy. Even better, find a friend to keep you honest and on track. ? Here’s what people are saying.

The case for slowing your roll in the morning: A growing portion of workers are embracing the benefits of starting the day in slow motion. Instead of reaching for their phones at first light then sprinting to the office, slow morning enthusiasts wake up a bit earlier and meditate, read or simply do nothing at all, The Wall Street Journal reports. Such quiet, often tech-free moments can pay creative dividends, with proponents arguing the personal time helps them start their days stress-free. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “What approach can someone take in counseling others about poor performance? How can you turn a normally negative conversation into one that's positive, the kind that will lead to improved performance?” — Cory Provost

• “Any productive conversation starts with the assumptions of those entering into it. A few years ago, I was at a 30-year anniversary celebration for a colleague. At the end, she turned to her boss and said, ‘Thank you for giving me the chance to do a good job.’ I remember this vividly because her words speak to a universal desire. We all want a chance to do a good job. So, I would start the conversation with the assumption that they aspire to good performance. Then the conversation becomes, what gets in the way of that happening? Is it a matter of a knowledge gap or a need for additional training? Is it one of those jobs that requires information across different parts of the team but they are just not receiving it? How can you and others be supportive? At the end of the day, people are waiting to be inspired. That inspiration is less about what we convey and more about what we believe people are capable of. We all want to perform at our best. Start with that assumption and then treat them as a co-problem solver in achieving a positive end goal.” — Sanyin Siang, CEO coach and executive director of the Coach K Leadership & Ethics Center at Duke University
• Management consultant and HR expert JoAnn Corley-Schwarzkopf on the key steps to take in a performance conversation: “The first step is to clearly establish the key issue by stating your concern. Gauge their understanding of your concern and create dialogue for any needed clarification. Key to this step is doing so with a tone that's supportive. Finally, enact a plan for change that includes a close follow-up timeline.”

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

When proteges end up as Mini-Mes: 71% of executives who sponsor a junior colleague say their mentees are the same race or gender as they are, according to a recent survey from the New York-based Center for Talent Innovation. And 77% of these executives say their proteges have the same skills and management style as they do. The trend poses a challenge for companies looking to promote diverse candidates. And it comes amid reports that some male executives are shying away from mentoring women in response to recent harassment scandals. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Need a memory boost? Start sketching: Visually imagining your thoughts, drawing them on paper and then examining your creations is a more powerful memory device than simple note taking or list making, according to research published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. The method, which was found to be especially helpful for older people, requires your brain to use several different forms of processing — semantic, visual, motor — to ingest information, The New York Times reports. And that extra effort likely gives you additional opportunity to commit things to memory. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea: It’s easy to rush through our days without noticing the many people who quietly make our lives, and the lives of others, better. But author Jeff Haden reminds us that we all benefit by taking a beat and honoring their contributions.

“By recognizing people — especially those who have been conditioned to not expect to be recognized — we add a little extra meaning and dignity to their lives. You really aren't taking yourself away from an important task. You're just shifting to an equally important task: showing people they matter — especially to you.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster