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How do you want to work: Sprint or Marathon?
Where are you with your work today? Would you describe your hours, energy, style as being in a sprint or a marathon? With a sprint, it’s an intense focus where you put in all your energy to burst over the finish line. The marathon is a longer, more sustainable effort where you pace yourself so you don’t burnout. Or perhaps, it’s neither. Instead, it might be something inbetween like a steeplechase — not an event with horses, but the 3000 meter run around a track with hurdles and water obstacles—which I only learned about from watching the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
I have no judgements, being in a sprint or a marathon *can* be the perfect right place for work right now as long as you’re intentionally making the choice.
Starting a New Job
Many of my clients are starting new jobs. The first 30/60/90 days of a new job or even the first three to six months are going to be sprints. It’s a completely new situation to get used to. You don’t yet understand the company processes and culture, how to work with the people around you, or the new domain space that you’re jumping into. Routines are shaken up. And it’s even more difficult to adjust when you’re onboarding remotely without the in-person camaraderie or happenstance conversations in the kitchen.
