In 2018, I broke the world record for the Fastest Cycle Across Europe. Cycling 4,000 miles across the continent in 16 days, 10 hours and 45 minutes, I knocked an incredible eight days and 17 hours off the previous record.

That performance was the outcome of a year of preparation with a multi-disciplinary team of sports science experts who developed an innovative approach to ultra-endurance cycling. However, the impact we made on the record paled in comparison to the impact the project had on my own personal development. As my physiologist explained in our first meeting: "You could be the fastest cyclist in the world on the start line but it means nothing unless you have a mind that's strong enough to get you to the finish line."

Ultimately, that transformation of my mindset was the greatest outcome of the record attempt. Below are five of the key lessons from working with a performance psychologist that contributed to my success, which anybody can use to help achieve their goals.

1. Be the best at things that require no talent

Before I could develop interventions to maximise my potential on the world record, I had to build a foundation that nourished growth. This required optimising my lifestyle so I could dedicate the maximum amount of time and energy to pursuing my target. I focussed on three areas:

• Time management: Structuring a digital calendar to cover every activity including detail about travel time, who I was meeting and what I needed to take with me ensured I arrived on time and prepared to perform at my best. Appointments with non-negotiable times were colour-coded red, empty time in my calendar was populated with flexible tasks from my to-do list and coloured green.
• Organisation: To ensure I found my files quickly, I tidied my desktop and structured the folder organisation on my laptop. I did the same for my living space at home, also ensuring I prepared equipment in the evening, ready for the following day. I took this one step further by separating my life into 'zones' which included different places for work, relaxing and sleep. Each 'zone' was optimised for its purpose.
• Sleep: My performance psychologist would often say: "Sleep is the most powerful performance enhancing drug in the world and the least used." Our record-breaking strategy was based on working smarter rather than longer, and eight hours of sleep every day ensured optimum physical and cognitive function.