My accountability partner mentioned that he shaved three minutes off his 5k time. If you’re a runner, you’ll know that’s a pretty big improvement. If you’re not a runner, just trust me, it is! Also, trust me when I say it’s a perfect analogy to how you can also be more successful at work.
He did it by focusing on his pace minute by minute. Usually he would focus on the end, and had a pretty consistent finish time. But when he focused on his pace minute by minute, he was able to make small adjustments that added up. knocking three entire minutes off his finish.
He knew what his pace needed to be, so he’d look at his watch and think, “I can increase my pace a bit and still not be going all out.” During the race you have to manage energy. If you start out as fast as you can, you’ll never make it to the end. Focusing on his current pace also kept him from giving too much in the moment only to suffer for it later.
See how it relates to your worklife?
You have to make the minutes matter. It’s good and important to have long range goals. But in order to reach those goals you must have clarity and purpose about how you spend your minutes. Every single workday will get you closer to your desired result if you’re mindful about where your time goes.
You’ll only have that clarity about how to spend your time if you plan for it. Develop a system for tracking and prioritizing your projects and tasks. Have a foolproof system for tackling your work every day. Don’t let speed be the factor that determines how much you get done. You’ll never be able to speed up fast enough to stay ahead. Purposeful planning in small, short increments is the answer. Pace yourself
I’ve written a book about this and you can check it out, here. If you found this post helpful you can get more like it – only shorter – every week. Sign up for the Minute Shift here.