We know that consistent effort applied over a long timeframe is what leads to results.
But what if there were a way to “hijack” the system?
A way to speed up progress, build massive momentum, and compress the timeline?
In today’s newsletter, I want to share with you what I call the S.P.R.I.N.T method. It’s a way to:
- Destroy poor work habits like procrastination, overthinking, analysis paralysis, and shallow focus.
- Dial up your focus ability and intensity.
- Finish projects that matter (or make massive progress on big projects).
Before we dive in:
If you want to get more done in two weeks than most do in three months, then you should join my next WorkSprint cohort. It is the live, cohort-based version of the SPRINT method I’m about to share with you.
Click here to learn more and secure your spot
Why do a SPRINT?
The short answer: it’s two weeks of your life. The upside potential is immense. (Someone from the previous cohort launched a business he’d been putting off for a decade. He signed his first client, getting a 10x ROI on his WorkSprint investment.) And the downside risk is trivial, if it even exists.
The longer answer…
A sprint is a powerfulway to kick yourself out of a procrastination loop.
Maybe you’ve got a project you’ve been putting off for months.
Maybe you’re tired of getting to the end of the day feeling dissatisfied with your output.
Or maybe you’ve been unable to make a decision about what to work on. You know you need to stop “thinking” about it and just do something.
The beauty of a sprint is that it’s a only a two-week commitment. You’re not signing up for a 12-month program.
Worst-case scenario you work on a project that’s not “optimal.”
Even in that scenario, you’ve still spent two weeks refining your focus ability. You’ll come away feeling more motivated and confident.
A previous WorkSprint member said that it was the “key” to unlock their productivity. The simple structure and accountability made a real difference.
Another member not only finished their project but also discovered why they kept procrastinating to begin with. They picked up on patterns, simply by being more intentional about how they approached work and productivity.
Many said that the momentum, clarity and confidence they gained during the sprint carried on after the cohort had finished. Like I said, the upside potential is immense.
How the SPRINT method works
If it’s not obvious, I’m trying to get you to enroll in WorkSprint because I truly think it’s a game-changer.
But you can do this yourself.
Here’s how it works:
- Single goal, clearly defined
- Power schedule
- Real accountability
- Intense focus
- No distractions
- Two weeks
Single goal, clearly defined.
Sprints work best when you have one project or goal to focus on.
During my last sprint, my goal was to produce 7 YouTube videos. Write, edit, and finalize. It was a singular focus—even though it involved different types of work.
Having a singular goal doesn’t mean you can’t work on multiple subtasks, but they should align under the primary goal.
For example, Christian, who runs a luxury lighting company, spent the last WorkSprint writing out a bunch of SOPs and improving delegation inside his business. He worked on many small tasks, but they all aligned under a single goal.
But whatever your project or goal is, it must be clearly defined.
“I’m going to write a bunch of stuff for my newsletter.” is too vague.
It won’t work. “A bunch of stuff” can mean anything. It will be easier to procrastinate because you can move the goalposts however you like.
“I’m going to write 4 newsletter issues during the 14-day sprint” is clearly defined. It’s specific.
The clearer your goal, the less excuses you have to avoid doing the work. The less ambiguity there is. The less loopholes you can find to feed your procrastination habit. You’ve outlined what you need to do, so now you just need to do it.
You want to push yourself too.
Your goal should be hard to achieve within the 14-day timeframe. It should require intense focus.
A good rule of thumb is that it should be at least a month’s worth of normal work. Maybe even 2-3 months if you’re a chronic procrastinator who doesn’t get much done.
Say you’re a developer who normally ships two new features per month. Well, do it in two weeks. Shorten the timeframe.
Don’t think small here. It’s incredible what you can accomplish in a 14-day timeframe when you push yourself hard.
Worst-case scenario, you set a difficult goal and you fall short. But you’ve still done way more than you would have otherwise.
Power Schedule
Time management is crucial during a sprint.
Inside WorkSprint, we recommend a minimum of 90 mins deep work. Every day.
It’s enough time to make significant progress on something over the 14 days. And it works for most people doing a side project outside their normal work hours.
The power schedule is about orienting your day around your most important deep work—at least as much as you can.
I’m a morning person. So I do my deep work in the morning. That’s the cornerstone of my day. If I procrastinate, or don’t get to it early, then it’s unlikely to happen.
The second component to the power schedule is scheduling things that support your ability to do the daily deep work. Exercise, eating well, taking time for leisure and recovery. You get the idea.
Real accountability
When you set a difficult goal for yourself over a short timeframe, The Resistance kicks in hard.
You find every reason in the book why you can’t do what you set out to do.
Sure, you might feel motivated on day one. Maybe even day two. But sometime during that first week you’ll want to take it easy, change your project/goal idea (which I don’t recommend), or quit.
This is why you need accountability. You need other people to see that you’re ticking the box every day. The simple act of having to “check in” with someone—or a community of people—drives momentum and productivity.
And this is why WorkSprint is so powerful: there’s a daily check-in process. At the start of the day, you write what you’re going to do, and at the end of the day you check it off confirming completion.
Intense focus
I’ve mentioned how you want to use the Power Schedule to orient your day around your most important work.
But when it comes to doing the work, you want to apply intensity.
Most of us, most of the time do not operate with much intensity at all.
You might sit down to write, or code, or work on a project for a few hours. But you’re distracted. Or you’re not pushing yourself to focus harder and go deeper.
During a sprint, you dial up the intensity.
The hours you work are intense. You’re trying to be twice as productive as usual. It almost becomes a game, “How intensely focused can I be during the next 1-3 hours?”
What you’ll discover when you apply this intensity is that:
A) it’s tiring, but…
B) it feels incredible when you’re in the zone, in flow, and you’re working extremely efficiently. Your output is ludicrous.
For example, I can usually average 1000-2000 words an hour when I’m engaged in focused writing.
But during sprints where I dial up the intensity, I have days where I pump out close to 3000 words an hour. It’s incredible. That’s a 50%+ increase in efficiency and productivity.
No distractions
I’m not talking about the micro-distractions you face when trying to do deep work.
It should be a given that your phone is on silent, there aren’t things that can distract you, you’re focused on the task at hand—and so on.
I’m talking about other distractions that tend to pop up during a sprint, like:
- Wanting to change course and work on a different project halfway through the two week duration.
- This is always the wrong move because you lose momentum. It’s also usually a result of The Resistance, because what you’re trying to do is hard, and so you start to convince yourself that it’s the wrong project or goal to work on because it’s hard.
- If you feel the urge to work on a different goal or project during your sprint, write it down. Schedule another sprint where you can tackle it, and return to the project you’re currently working on.
- Wanting to quit because it’s hard. This is also a distraction. Just keep working.
- An “opportunity” comes up that gives you a convenient excuse to abandon your sprint.
- Yes, it’s possible that an amazing, life-changing opportunity comes up that forces you to abandon your sprint. But let’s be real, it’s rare. Avoid complex self-rationalization.
- Intra-sprint distractions.
- Spending too long on an unimportant part of your project or goal. Engaging in sophisticated procrastination (i.e., doing “research” beyond the point of necessity when you should really just be working on the thing.)
Two weeks
Two weeks is the perfect timeframe.
If you’re doing a minimum of 90 minutes deep work per day, you’ll do 21 hours over the course of the sprint. More than enough time to finish a small project or make decent progress on a big one.
It’s a period of time where you can truly dial up the intensity because it’s only two weeks. It’s hard to maintain intensity for months on end. But you can absolutely do it over two weeks.
And it’s a short enough period of time where there’s little downside.
Work on a project that goes nowhere? All good. It’s just two weeks. Not 6 months of your life.
But the potential upside is immeasurable. There’s a significant chance you work on something that vastly improves your life, your business, or your career.
You build momentum that carries on after your sprint.
You build a level of confidence, because you’ve spent two weeks crushing work and know you can just turn that dial up whenever you like.
Now it’s your turn: will you SPRINT?
You can follow this SPRINT method by yourself. I’ve outlined it for you.
But you do need to find accountability. A friend. Someone who can ideally do it with you so they understand the challenges you’re facing.
OR…
You can join WorkSprint.
It’s group challenge where we all follow this method, working on our own individual projects.
There’s a daily accountability system. Each member checks in every day with what their task is, and confirms completion at the end of the day.
There are optional live calls (some training, Q&A, and virtual co-working sessions).
And the energy inside the community is intense. It becomes hard to not be motivated.
