Every area of responsibility has a standard to be maintained

“Project people” are good at sprints. Give them a clear goal and a path to get there, and they'll chase after it.

The weakness of sprinters: Once they've reached their goal, they will lose interest, only to change direction and run after the next goal.

When you launch a new project, you have to set aside many of your usual habits, routines, and boundaries you usually rely on. You must let go and focus every bit of energy on a single outcome. For example, when you’re about to close a big sales contract with an important client, that isn't the ti...

At a deep level, projects and areas depend on each other.

A project is like a rocket taking off. It starts with an explosion of energy toward an objective. Your areas are like the stable infrastructure that enables that rocket to take off.

• Adopt a morning or evening routine
• Set limits to your working hours
• Take regular breaks and walks in nature
• Journal and write out your internal anxieties and thoughts
• Create a mindful habit
• Set your intentions each day, week, month, or year
• Eva...

• Set a deadline with consequences
• Use “timeboxing” to concentrate your energy output
• Promise someone that you’ll deliver by a certain time
• Schedule a meeting or presentation during which you’ll show your work
• Reduce the scope of the project and drop features as...

• Running a marathon is a project. Health is an area.
• Publishing a book is a project. Writing is an area.
• A vacation to Thailand is a project. Travel is an area.

In the above examples, the projects have completion dates. The projects finish when the desired outcome ...