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Why 30 Day Improvement Sprints

  • Artikkeli

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.

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Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 26, 2007
    PingBack from http://msdnrss.thecoderblogs.com/2007/12/27/rituals-for-results/

  • Anonymous
    December 28, 2007
    Routines help build efficiency and effectiveness. Consistent action over time is the key to real results.

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2008
    Each month I pick a focus or a theme for my improvement sprint.  I find it's easier to start and