Home
>
Time Management
>
Sprint Through Your Workday, Even if Youre a Marathoner

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 http://www.clairetompkins.com and 510-535-0856.

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Sprint Through Your Workday, Even if Youre a Marathoner

Time Management