Written by Samantha Proctor

What does productivity look like? It probably looks different to you than it does to me. To share a little story–on so many occasions, I tell my husband “I feel like we’ve had a productive day!” He then looks at me, laughs, and usually disagrees. When I look at what we do on a typical day, I celebrate every single item crossed off my list (side note, does anyone else add random tasks to their list just for the satisfaction of crossing something off?), and my husband looks at the things left on his list and doesn’t feel productive unless it’s empty.

What if I tell you I know a trick to help you quickly cross every item off your dreaded to-do list? No matter how you view productivity, you’re guaranteed to feel accomplished after a good work sprint. Now to break down a work sprint for you–it’s a short burst of energy that you put into ONE task at a time, take a break, then start again on a different task.

Work sprints are great because they allow you to take multiple mini breaks instead of just one long ‘lunch break’ or whatever you want to call it. Typically, you give yourself 30-45 minutes of head down, focused work. Once your timer goes off, take a few minutes to get up, stretch, grab a snack, even take a walk around the block! To check out all the benefits of taking mini breaks, check out this article written by Kasey!

In the grand scheme of your everyday, work sprints be better for getting the job done. My favorite thing about work sprints is how it allows me to focus and not overthink. Obviously, I’m thinking while I work, but this forces me to make decisions fast without overanalyzing them. And overthinking usually leads to destruction – in my mind!

Take a day next week and try work sprints out! Share your opinions and feedback with us. We’d love to know all about your sprint day and what came out of it for you!