Discussion
In Thursday Is the New Friday I help you identify ways to make your 4-day workweek work best for you. I also talk about ‘Timed Work Sprints™’ to accomplish more in less time, so let’s discuss this.
Check out the different Sprints below and consider the following:
- Which one(s) are you?
- Do you see yourself setting aside time weekly and automating that?
- Or do you see yourself having a scheduled intensive every month or quarter?
All four of these Sprinter Types™ have pros and cons, but the biggest thing is to remember the original three principles:
1. Do your very best work first.
2. Be uncompromising about your boundaries.
3. Give yourself less time.
Here’s an example of how you can apply the Sprints to your life:
1. Pre-Sprint:
Set aside at least twenty minutes for this sprint. Put your phone on Airplane Mode to avoid any interruptions. Think for one minute about what you want to achieve in this sprint and what you need for this sprint (passwords, a cup of coffee, notepad, data, etc.). Maybe change the setting through music or lighting.
Decide: “During this sprint, I will achieve________”
2. Sprint:
Set a timer for at least twenty minutes and focus on completing the task at hand. Do not stop, do not edit, do not evaluate, just keep working. You can have an editing sprint later, but the focus of the sprint is to get three to four times more done than usual. When the timer goes off, stop immediately. You will want to work, you’ll feel in flow. But, when you first start doing this, it is important to stop. This builds the tension and excitement for the next sprint, so you get more done then too.
3. Post-Sprint:
Reflect on what worked during that sprint; what do you need for the next one? How could you work even faster?
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CURIOSITY
Develop more curiosity. Make it a habit.
Take action that fuels your personal curiosity machine (or should I say organism?). Think about it. How do you develop more curiosity? We’ve already seen that when we’re bored, seeking mastery, or experiencing incongruent beliefs, those feelings create a build-up of curious energy. Don’t let it get pent up, start putting it into action.
- Do I allow myself to get bored?
- When am I bored?
- What stress, life activities, or devices get in the way of me experiencing boredom?
- What daily, weekly, or monthly time can I set aside to build space to let my mind roam?
- What reaction do I have to the word “mastery”?
- What areas of my work/business do I want to master?
- What am I mastering in my personal life?
- What stands in the way of “me” time to explore?
- When can I let my guard down?
- What can I begin to master with my partner/friends/children?
- What experiences do I have that challenge my beliefs?
- When something is incongruent, what stops me from taking actions to resolve that incongruence?
- What beliefs feel true from my childhood that I want to challenge?
- Spend more time wondering, it will lead to being curious.
