Think As Inc

PACE AND SPRINT

November 24, 2009 on 2:02 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

Goals require the ability to both pace and sprint.  Pacing is required because goals occur over time.  You can’t lose 20 pounds in one day.  You need to spread it out over weeks.  Your tactics may include elements of diet and exercise, so your focus and energy needs to spread accordingly.  But a sprinting mentality is also helpful.  As you near the last 15 minutes of a difficult workout, it is helpful to have the drive to push yourself and the energy resources to match.

If proactive career management is a goal, pacing is required to build and properly maintain your network.  You’ll be burned out and wear out your welcome if you try to solidify 100 contacts in a week.  Pace yourself over the year, and it becomes just two lunches a week, with some time for phone and email correspondence in-between.  At the same time, some career goals require a sprinter’s strategy.  If you lose your job and need a new one quickly, you need to compress your activities in a short timeframe:  increase your networking frequency; work longer at the computer to research industries and companies quickly; and hustle around the city on interviews and meetings.

Financial goals require both pacing and sprinting.  Barring a one-time windfall, you need to pace your savings to build a nest egg.  You also need to pace your withdrawals to ensure that your nest egg lasts.  However, if there is opportunity to take on some overtime for extra money or if you have a large amount of debt to repay, you might adopt a sprinter’s focus.  Work the extra hours for a short period of time or cut expenses dramatically in the short-term, in order to make immediate headway in your financial goal.

Therefore, as you outline your goals for the coming months or years, think about where you need to pace and where you need to sprint and allocate your time and energy accordingly.  Knowing when to pace means you can conserve energy and be patient.  Knowing when to sprint enables you to build on momentum and avoid plateaus.