Sprint Through Your Workday, Even if Youre a Marathoner

Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one sitting, they have to be broken up into steps. Some people are marathoners and work best when they can spend long, uninterrupted hours on their projects. They hate to stop working because of piddly considerations like eating or sleeping, and they look forward to their next sessions. They're motivated by their goals, and they enjoy the process. That keeps them on track.

However, many work environments are too full of distractions to support marathoners. Your home office also harbors plenty of distractions. Some distractions can be managed, but many are integral parts of the work day. I'm talking about the kind of environment that makes people say, "I must have ADD!" The answer is: learn to sprint.

Make Your Sprints Productive.

Some people are natural sprinters To find out, ask yourself if it's hard to get back into the swing of a project once you get up from that first session. The novelty has worn off, you're distracted by new projects, and the prospect of not finishing the current one any time soon diminishes your enthusiasm. This can make it hard to get projects checked off your list. But you can turn this tendency into a productive work style.

Think back to other projects you've completed. Can you remember how much time you comfortably spent at one sitting? If not, plan to work for 15 minutes. The session will actually take about 10 minutes longer than that, so schedule enough time. You'll begin by setting things up, physically and mentally. Get tools and equipment, put email and phone distractions on hold, and review what you'll be doing. Focus on working for the 15 minutes. At the end, clean up and make notes for the next session. If that was easy, try making your sessions longer. If it was a toughie, shorten them.

Why Does This Work?

Mainly, it works because you prepare yourself mentally to work for a specific period of time. The mental preparation and the time limit together are a terrific combination. It also works because you develop a new work habit. Once something becomes a habit, it feels natural and you come to expect it. You're not inventing the wheel each time.

Another reason it's helpful is that a project that's broken down into many steps can have many "beginnings." That's a good way to look at it if you find yourself losing motivation. Every time you finish a work session, you'll specifically describe what's to be done next time. If the next step is a different kind of activity, it will naturally seem like a new activity, even if it's part of a larger project. For example, once you finish reviewing a set of data, your next step is to call the salesperson to discuss your order. When you write your task out as "call salesperson" rather than "continue slogging along on the Schwartz project," you'll be able to focus on that current step instead of feeling overwhelmed by looking at the entire large project.

Finally, it works because no matter how little time you work on something, if you keep at it, with regular mini sessions, you will eventually finish. Guaranteed.

Claire Tompkins specializes in simple, efficient systems to help people be more productive, more easily. Before figuring out how to do something better, ask why you're doing it at all. Got to http://www.clairetompkins.com to find out more. Contact her at Claire@clairetompkins.com and 510-535-0856.

---

Plan Your Day and Stick to Your Plan

How many times have you remarked to someone that there... Read More

Managing Worry: Productivity Tips for High Achievers Who Worry

Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More

How to Double Your Accomplishment Level

Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More

Expand Your Time

In our time-crazed society, lots of time is what most... Read More

Sharpen The Saw

Sometime ago, my lovely wife woke me up in the... Read More

7 ways To Win The Time Crunch

Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More

Effective Use of Your Online Time

The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More

Time Management: How To Manage Your Time So Your Home Business Will Flourish

If you operate any kind of home business, you must... Read More

10 Tips on the Right Time of Day for Your Personal Best

Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More

9 Business Time Management Skills You Need To Succeed

Do you have plenty to do, but don't have enough... Read More

Low Tech Time Management

A simple kitchen gadget is transforming my life. I don't... Read More

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More

Managing Time to Accomplish More

Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More

Do You Put a Value on Your Time?

As a small business owner, does the following paragraph sound... Read More

Work at Home Moms: Time Management Tips

"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More

31 Ways to Get An Extra Hour Out of Each Day

How can you get an extra hour out of each... Read More

Seven Ways to Say, No!

A common remedy for improving your time management is to... Read More

Looking At Time With A Capital T

I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More

Time Management: How to Stay Motivated and Get More Done

If you can motivate yourself at will to get any... Read More

Freelance Productivity: Do One Thing Extra Each Day

This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More

Time Management Is Key

Having a home based business can be overwhelming. When you... Read More

Too Much to Do? Too Little Time?

Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More

Busy, Busy, Busy

?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me... Read More

21 Questions To Assess Your Readiness For Time Management

How many of us are guilty of "Putting the cart... Read More

Procrastination - Understanding & Overcoming it

Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More

How to Conquer the Five Major Time Wasters?

* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More

Scheduling Productive Days - Dont Interrupt, Im Pouring Concrete

Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the... Read More

Making Headway on a Slow Day: 9 Ways to Turn Down-Time into Productivity Time

If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More

Beyond Time Management ? Seven Ways to Leverage Your Time for Greater Results

Most of us have a to-do list ? some of... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Manage Yourself - Time Wise

"Time management" is a myth. Time ticks by, whether you... Read More

What is ?Life Balance? and How Can You Attain It?

We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More

Find The Time -- Before Its Too Late!

People always seem to be in such a hurry, everywhere... Read More

Vilfredo Paretos Principle: The 80-20 Rule: 80% of Results are Produced from 20% of Efforts

Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More