Mini-Sprints

Reference
 The Three
Easy Rules
Yes, they also apply to the mini sprints!

RULE 1. Be honest and real with yourself.

RULE 2. Relentlessly focus on what you can influence.

RULE 3. Have fun.

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 Table of Contents

5-Day Success Starter Sprint ...................................................... 4

Day ONE ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Day TWO. .............................................................................................................................................6
Day THREE. ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Day FOUR. .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Day FIVE. ............................................................................................................................................ 10

3-Day Tangible Vision Sprint ........................................................................... 11

Day ONE ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Day TWO. ........................................................................................................................................... 13
Day THREE. ....................................................................................................................................... 14

3-Day Productivity Obstacle Overhaul ................................................... 15

Day ONE. ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Day TWO. ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Day THREE. ....................................................................................................................................... 18

“DIY” Sprint Framework(s) .............................................................................. 19

General Guidelines ............................................................................................................................20
My Recommendations .....................................................................................................................20
My Basic Framework ....................................................................................................................... 21

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5-Day Success
Starter Sprint

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 Day ONE

1. The area of my life I want to improve:

Maybe it’s your health, or your career. General or specific, it’s up to you.

2. NOT improving it has already cost me…

What has this cost you ALREADY by not taking care of it? I mean in terms of happiness, money, relationships,
and where you’re at currently. Really go for the pain here. Ideally, you’ll be thinking about your answer as
you really tackle changing things for the positive in days 2 through 5.

3. The one goal I will commit to, right now:

Boom. Draw a line in the sand.

4. The benefits of accomplishing this goal:

Go nuts here. Have FUN with this! How will you become better? What physical benefits will you enjoy? Will
you enjoy material benefits? Relationship benefits? How? In what way? Paint a picture. Spend a lot of time
with this one. Soak it in. Talk about anything, including the stuff that will genuinely make you a better
version of yourself, but also the stuff you just plain want. Don’t feel you need to be a saint!

5. Existing skills I can use…

What can you leverage? What skills do you already have that will help?

4. Why I can COMMIT to my goal…

If you can’t think of something, make it up. I’m 100% serious.

5. What is one small thing I will do today?

MAKE IT SMALL. It shouldn’t be hard. Something that will feel good to do. It can even be “read over this entry
later today.” Again: SMALL.

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 Day TWO.

1. My Goal:

2. My PAST fears and negative associations:

This is with respect to your goal. What are you past fears and negative associations with this
goal? List them all. Fears, negative what-ifs, cultural associations, anything. If you can’t think of any,
just start listing negative associations that you’ve “heard about,” even if you don’t believe in them.

3. NEW associations:
Remember the section on giving yourself material to work with. You should not lie to yourself
here. But you should work with and modify these beliefs so that they serve you. You can stay real,
but focus on what will empower you. Some ideas will be obvious, and you can also try adding words
like “however” or “but” to the end of a negative belief/association. You can also change an “is” belief,
to a “might be” belief, like this: “X might be bad, but… [blah blah]” or “I might worry about X,
however… [blah blah].”

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 Day THREE.

1. My Goal:

2. NEW associations that will serve me:

This is your answer from yesterday. Yes, re-write them.

3. OTHER associations I have that will help:

These are beliefs you already had. List them out. You’ve probably got some beliefs about hard
work, learning, things like that, which will help you. What are your ninja skills? Public speaking?
Writing great emails? Nailing it in the gym? Do you have beliefs about hard work that will serve
you here?

4. My hidden resources:
Interpret this how you like!

4. What I can be grateful for RIGHT NOW:

This is in terms of your goal. It can be this sprint. It can b your journal. It can be people you
love. It can be your desk, your computer, anything that will serve you, and that you are glad to
have in your life.

5. A “chunk” I can do over the next 10 days:

Be real here! Based on what you’re working on, pick a date, and set a mini goal. This doesn’t need
to be the end of the entire project (which could be months off), but it is a small, manageable chunk
of it so that you can say, “Yes, I did it.” You might feel motivated to really think big here, but I
actually want you to lowball this goal. Make it real, but also make it absurdly easy to meet this
goal. The secret is that as you go, you can crush it if you want, and totally blow past it. How good
would that feel?

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 Day FOUR.

NOTE: First, review day two’s “fears and negative associations” to help you answer the following day
four questions:

1. How I sabotaged my goal in the PAST…

Try to be as specific as possible. Talk about specific behaviors, procrastination, thought patterns
and associations, that sort of thing.

2. New behaviors:
Identify the triggers, and then identify alternate behaviors that will prevent the sabotage. Instead
of eating ice cream, the craving for ice cream is now a trigger to call a friend, or open your journal,
or go for a walk, or anything. If you can’t think of anything, start with “I will open my journal and
[insert something creative].”

3. Why I’m committed to these new behaviors:

Things to talk about: why it’s important to you, the benefits and goals you feel you committed to
accomplishing, why the new behavior is actually easy to do, and helpful, and so on. But you can
also think about how the self-sabotaging behavior is linked to your old fears and negative
associations, and how your new behavior might be linked to your new, more empowering
associations—the ones you consciously decided on.

4. I can handle challenges because…

Here’s the thing about this prompt — the trick with stuff like this is you don’t want to create a
self-fulfilling prophecy by saying, “It’s okay if I screw up!” but you also don’t want to beat yourself
up and feel totally destroyed the first time you experience a slip up! You are human, after all. And
life’s like that. This is why, in this prompt, talk about how you are already equipped to handle
hiccups, slip ups, and things like that, and how you will move forward in the face of challenges. This
doesn’t mean they will happen, but it does mean you can meet those challenges in a real and
honest way that keeps you moving forward.

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5. Affirmations (or “The Vision I’m Making Real”)
Related to the goal you picked, write a series of affirmations you can really get behind and feel
jazzed about, beginning with “I am” or some other present-tense verb. Examples: I work out three
times every week; I enjoy discovering new recipes; I write every day; I am always improving; I read
and soak up knowledge; etc. Remember, these can be anything. Be creative, and don’t be afraid to
write out very small, specific things if you think they’re part of a larger vision related to your goal.
Side note: If you’re not sure, or these don’t feel real to you, put them under a heading called “The
Vision I’m Making Real.”

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 Day FIVE.

NOTE: Review all of days 1 to 4 before you begin!

1. My Goal:
Start with “I will…” or some other verb. This is likely very similar to what you wrote on Day 1. If
you want to change it a bit, go for it. (Goals shift all the time; that doesn’t make them less powerful.)

2. Over the past five days, I can be grateful for…

Small wins, serendipitous events, family members, tiny things you’ve already accomplished or
discovered, support systems you realize you have.

3. My main insights for this sprint:

Don’t try to dig for something really weird or subtle. Focus on the big obvious stuff that jumps
out at you, because this is the stuff you’ll never forget. You discovered something about a negative
association, or something about a goal. Anything.

4. What I will continue to work in my journal…

As always, go for the leverage. What was most fun? Do more. What needs more work? Sure, do
more there as well. Just make a decision.

5. Affirmations (or “The Vision I’m Making Real”)

Just like yesterday! You don’t have to re-write all of them. Re-write the ones that pop into your
mind. Ignore others if they are not exciting. Add in new ones if they occur to you.

6. [Optional Bonus] One tiny *extra* thing I can do TODAY…

Note: Only do this if doing it gets you excited! Write something you for sure can and will do today…
but again, look for the leverage!

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3-Day Tangible
Vision Sprint

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 Day ONE

1. My Goal:

2. WHEN this became a goal:

Not to get all Freudian here, but try to dig into why or what influenced you to have this goal. Was
it a specific lack you felt, growing up — or even one you still feel? Was it based on the actions or
behaviors of a major role model in your life? Where did it come from?

3. WHY is this a goal you have?

Dig into what the benefits are of the goal. What will you enjoy doing when you’ve achieved it? Will
you feel good? Does achieving the goal say something about who you’ve become in order to
achieve it? If so: what? Why do you want to become that person? Try to think about both “who’ll
you need to be” and “what you’ll get” when you think about why you want to achieve this goal. As
well, try to link this to really fundamental values: will it show you’re ambitious, driven, smart, caring,
compassionate, or something else entirely?

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 Day TWO.

1. Daily life after accomplishing my goal:

Put yourself as far into the future as you need to. Imagine you’ve accomplished your goal.
Describe your life in as much detail as possible.

Be very concrete. Focus on even the mundane stuff:

What is your daily schedule like? You wake up, and then what?

What kind of house do you live in?

Do you work from home?

Do you exercise? If so: how/when?

What are your conversations like? Who do you talk to on a daily basis?

Are you married? Do you have children? How/when do you make time for that stuff? Has it
changed from where you are now?

2. New Goals I will likely have…

Put yourself back into that place where you’ve accomplished your goal. What are your NEW
goals? What are your NEW desires? You never stop growing, so once your daily routine and
schedule look like what you described above, think about this: what are some of your new goals?

What are you working towards, and how are you doing it?

What is it you enjoy doing about this work?

What do you do on a daily basis to make it happen?

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 Day THREE.

1. What the road looks like:

Looking at your vision from yesterday… how are you going to get from here to there? What does
that road look like?

Look at your answers from Day Two. Now, how are you going to get from where you are now to
that place? What will that road feel like? What are some of the (potential) major milestones? What
are some of the difficulties? (Exercising or writing or working on some project first thing in the
morning, or late at night? Going too the library? Taking a course? When/how will you do it?

Just like yesterday, be very, very concrete. It’s okay to focus on really mundane realities of what
you’ll need to do.

2. Likely challenges I will overcome:

Everything worth doing has challenges associated with it. What are some of the challenges
you’re going to have to face? Again, try to stay very concrete. What will it feel like to face these
challenges? What kinds of things will you have to do to overcome them? How will that feel?

Be real and honest about these challenges. Sometimes… they suck. They hurt. They kick you in
the face. But now is the time to imagine both the challenge and your response. Now is the time
when you can be wild and craft a response that perfectly addresses the challenge.

3. TODAY I will…
What is one thing you can do TODAY? List it here. The key is to start today. It can be small, but
start today.

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3-Day Productivity
Obstacle Overhaul

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 Day ONE.

1. Where I will improve:

2. Specific obstacles or challenges to deal with:

These can be obstacles in your workflow or even mental challenges. Just get specific. You don’t
have to brainstorm a huge list, but do try list more than one, just so that you can then pick the
biggest or most important challenge that’s worth addressing.

3. What it would mean to overcome these challenges:

Before we come up with a plan, let’s prime ourselves to want to come up with a plan and then
actually really want to implement it. This is the last question of the sprint, so from there, we’ll leave
our brains stewing for the next 24 hours or so on all those amazing benefits we’ll experience once
we start really dealing with this.

(Bonus points if you encounter the challenge on the same day you journal about it, so that you
end up thinking the whole time, “Holy crap I cannot freaking wait to deal with this!”)

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 Day TWO.

1. My number ONE challenge or obstacle:

This is from yesterday.

2. WHY I will overcome it:

Reiterate the benefits of dealing with this, but get really specific about what the challenge or
obstacle is, and what it is causing.

3. Specific strategies I can use:

Try to come up with at least three, if not more, ways to overcome it. Some ideas: changes in any
of your routines; “if-then” implementation intentions (good if the obstacle has a specific “trigger”
you can deal with); changes in your environment, or ways to control your environment.

4. The ONE MAIN Leverage Point:

Let’s cut through the maybes, the hemming and hawing, and the waffling between this and that.
What is the ONE thing you could do that would blast this obstacle out of the water?

What is it you know you have to do? C’mon, by this point, you probably know exactly what’ll nail
this specific obstacle out of the water. So: what is it? You can expand on something you wrote above
if it will truly blast the obstacle out of the water.

5. What I will do TODAY:

You might be able to actually do the number one thing identified above. If you can’t do it all, what
can you do, or what do you need to do to get started? Do you need to order something, set up a
calendar, start a tracking spreadsheet — what is it?

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 Day THREE.

1. What do I still need to do:

Also address when and how you’ll do it. We’re still looking at that number one challenge,
continuing straight from yesterday’s journaling, as well as what you actually did. What’s left?

2. Smaller challenges “left over”:

We identified the biggest lever, and we’re well on our way to dealing with it. Which smaller
obstacles are worth addressing?

3. Things I can do TODAY to deal with them:

As always, I recommend starting today (if not right after answering these questions!).

4. Things I can do TOMORROW to deal with them:

You already know lifelong habits are what are important. Look forward to what you’ll do
tomorrow.

5. Other plans:
This is open season, but dig in and/or be creative. Again: this is part of acknowledging that this
stuff is about habits and lifelong consistency. So, what will you do?

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“DIY” Sprint
Framework(s)

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General Guidelines
Each day, include at least one question, but avoid going past four or five. You just won’t
do more than that, unless you’re doing a special all-in-one, single-day sprint.

Use your common sense: some questions you come up with you’ll be able to identify as ones
that will obviously take longer than the others. Try not to include five super long questions
one day, then only include one short question the next.

Two to five days is what I find works best. Anything shorter isn’t really a sprint (partly since
you will lose the benefits of “stewing” on certain ideas between sprint days), and anything longer
I find tends to drag towards the end.

My Recommendations
I like to end sprints with tangible actions I can take. Also, I like to take those actions right after
journaling, if I can. If I can’t, I schedule it, because otherwise it’s just way harder to actually do
them, and yes, I’ve learned the hard way that it feels awkward to get to day two when you haven’t
done the things you said you’d do at the end of day one. (Keep this in mind when you’re thinking
about procrastinating on those actions. Use it as a motivator.)

Although the form can change based on the obstacle or what you’re dealing with, I also like to
include questions that will basically generate some form of “if-then” implementation intentions
towards the end of a sprint.

Small wins (and I mean “small”) are also good. This is because the first step is always the
hardest. You can break down the first step into mini steps that are so small it’s impossible not to
start. (Hint: the fact that you’re journaling about them is itself a step to getting started, and helps
to break down that barrier. This is a side benefit of journaling.)

Steal from books with exercises. Just try to throw them into a sprint framework.

Steal from the non-sprint exercises section in this book. There’s nothing preventing you from
picking and choosing the questions you like to make your own sprint.

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My Basic Framework
I like to follow a framework that’s basically what you see below. Sometimes two elements
take place within the span of a single day, sometimes one element gets split into multiple days.

1. Dig into WHY and/or WHAT, and expand…

What is the challenge? Why does it exist? Why do I want to deal with it? What will be the
benefit? This might take place over multiple days, depending on how deep you get into things.

2. Brainstorm HOW, and expand…

Questions that answer how you will do [whatever]? Questions that ask what actions need to
be taken, and how will you do them? This is often where I do various forms of brainstorming,
and getting myself to focus on the resources I can use.

3. Move towards the tangible, tangible, tangible.

Questions that force you to create actual, specific plans, set deadlines, and commit to doing
things, and often doing things at a specific time.

4. Ever onwards…
Questions that emphasize this is not the end, that build momentum in a way you’ll take
with you tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

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Alternative Frameworks
Keep in mind I’ve been focused on productivity and self-development. You could also devise
sprints for other stuff.

For example, let’s say you wanted to outline a novel.

You could create a sprint for that.

One day is crazy idea brainstorm, one day is pure character and character arcs, one day is
plotting. Or, maybe one day is the general plot, then you have a day dedicated to each act. For
this, you might want to ignore me five-day sprint limit recommendation, depending on your
beliefs about creative writing, and what you’ve found works best for you!

Or you might just run your sprint twice, since, with this kind of thing, your earlier ideas naturally
get modified as you go: all those crazy ideas from the first day have a different meaning once
you’ve thought more about your characters, your setting, and your plot. Some of those ideas just
won’t work at all anymore, while others will slot in rather nicely, and on top of all that, you’ll be
able to think of a bunch of new crazy ideas.

Similarly, another very interesting use of journaling sprints, related to the above, would be one
for getting yourself unstuck, in case you’ve written yourself into a corner. That is, you’ve got your
character in a situation, and you need to get them out of there without some lame deus ex
machina.

So: devise a sprint about it.

Focus on what the corner is, and have questions about would or would not be thematically
appropriate. Get those ideas onto the page, and that way you can free your brain to work with
them, instead of spending all its power trying to do all that at the same time.

You could do similar things if you were devising anything else creative: an online course, a
nonfiction book, a dissertation, an app or coding project — anything.

Use your imagination, and think about what you’d like to accomplish.

The possibilities are limitless.

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