Why 30 Day Improvement Sprints
Why 30 Day Improvement Sprints? I get asked this often enough that I think I should distll the keys:
- I can commit to something for 30 days. Starting something without an end in sight, can be daunting.
- It helps me deal with the now.
- It's a timebox to deliver value to myself.
- If I only do something ad-hoc now and then, I don't create an effective technique. If I do a little each day, I find a way to reduce the friction.
- It lets me parking lot things I want to work on. I can put something on the backburner if I know I have a way to pick it back up.
- It gives me a system to build a portfolio of improvements instead of cling to one-hit wonders here and there.
- If it's daily, it becomes a habbit. If it's something I do a few days a week or only for a week, I don't build a routine.
- It's a long enough duration to see improvement or change approach. I wonder how many things I tried in the past for a week, then stopped because I didn't see improvement? If I'm not getting results, I have enough buffer to change my approaches or strategies. Put it another way, 30 days gives me enough buffer to mess up.
- It's easier to buy into incremental, daily improvement versus big up front improvement or change.
- I'm a sprinter by nature. While I've learned to pace by nurture, I prefer to put my all and do bursts. It's when my energy is peak.
Because my 30 Day Improvement Sprints are so effective for me, I have to resist the urge to bite off too many areas at once. In general, I try to balance between mind, body, career, financial, and relationships. My scannable outcome lists help me checkpoint. As a pattern, I do tend to focus heavily on career, but now that I see it, I can change it, if it makes sense.
Related Posts