It’s Cheetah Time!

Tis the season when it seems way too early for holiday music and festivities, but walk into any shop and it’s all you’ll see and hear. While visiting my family in Hawaii, even my mom was busy practicing Christmas carols for her Ukulele jam!

It’s a great reminder, however, that the end of the year is near. Not only do I want to get my holiday shopping done, but I’m also reminded to go into Cheetah mode to cross the end of year finish line.

Cheetah Mode

Cheetah mode is just like any athletic sprint event or cheetah on a hunt. It’s a massive burst of energy to propel you forward at lightning speeds but only for a short distance. It’s about super focused effort on a single goal.

You’re so focused, in fact, that you may even neglect other important things. In sports, sprints often mean you’re pushing through the pain and objections of your body, giving everything you’ve got, even without enough oxygen.

Similarly, during cheetah mode, it might mean a few extra nights of take-out, saying no or not now to requests and invites, and you might even get a little judgment from the people around you. And, that’s okay.

Keep reminding yourself, this is just a sprint – it’s not forever. You’ll have time to relax and reconnect after it’s over (in fact, go schedule the R&R now!). Balance is achieved through periods of intensity and rest.

Why Do Sprints

Sprints are great for productivity. Rather than starting and stopping projects, and multi-tasking through your days and weeks, you’ll be focused on your one goal. Single-tasking has statistically been proven over and over to allow you to deeply focus, make better strategic decisions, and produce higher quality work more quickly.

Ready to go Cheetah? Great! Here’s how to get started:

1. Pick your sprint.
   Do you have a project or goal you’d like to achieve through Sprint Mode? For me, sprints are anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, but sometimes I approach 8-week projects as sprints too. There are no hard and fast rules – find what works best for you.
   • Examples of sprint projects in business:
     • Create a 3 part video series
     • Launch a new website
     • Complete a continuing education course
   • Examples of sprint projects in the home:
     • Declutter the entire house
     • Zapping tolerations
     • A small remodel project
2. Schedule it
   Start clearing your calendar as much as possible for the duration of your sprint – reschedule/cancel as appropriate, get a sitter, do what can to protect your sprint time. Block out specific time blocks for your project, so you don’t accidentally schedule things into this time.
3. Communicate it and ask for help.
   Let people know you are doing a sprint. Set expectations with your team as to when and why you’ll have more closed door time as usual. Tell your kids they’ll get two pizza delivery nights this week or they’re going to Aunt Sophie’s for the weekend. Ask them to cheer for you!
4. Go!
   It’s Go-time! Keep your eye on the prize and give it all you’ve got!

You have 6 weeks and change until the end of the year. What’s one or two project you would LOVE to knock out? (Be sure to do only one at a time – the point is to uber focus!) Don’t’ forget to schedule in some celebratory R&R time after your sprint! It will keep you motivated to finish.

Cheetah mode works for all sorts of projects – everything from completing your holiday shopping to meeting your end of year business goals. You can do this as a team or family. The results you’ll see through Cheetah mode will amaze you!