In the last few episodes I talked about productivity and different tips and tools to be more productive, so it was fitting that this past week culminated with a SuccessLab all-nighter. Yes, one of our mastermind groups, and several other intrepid entrepreneurs, decided we would all gather to stay up all night to get some work done…sort of like a project sprint. I can honestly say it was the first time I stayed up all night to work. But the big question at the end was, are projects sprints like this effective? At what point should you throw in the towel and attack your work with a fresh set of eyes and rested brain the next day?
There are a few pros and cons, and a some things we all learned along the way. I’ll start with the pros:
- Project sprints typically force you to focus. You have one thing you want to get done, and there’s no rest or moving on to the next task until you finish the first.
- Often it forces you to finally work on that thing you’ve been putting off.
- You don’t focus as much on perfect. It’s more about getting it done.
- When you do complete the project it feels like a ton of weight has been lifted from your shoulders
Of course there are a few down sides to staying up all night:
- Towards the end of our 11-hour stint (around 4 a.m.) we were all pretty much tapped out on work, and began debating who the best rapper was of all time and quoting Dumb and Dumber. There is a point when you just stop being productive.
- The next day (and or me it was the next couple of days) you’re completely shot. For me, I noticed it took a day to feel the effects. I felt pretty much useless the two days that followed.
- Since you know you’re going all night, you can run the risk of thinking, “Oh well I have 10 hours to get this done, so I don’t have to move too quick.”
For some these all-night project sprints work great. We decided however, it was probably a better use of time to do evening project sprints and cut it off around midnight or so. That way you’re focused on something specific and your maximizing your brain power (not exhausting it), and when you know you definite cutoff that’s only a few hours away, you’ll likely get more focused and work a little quicker. Also keep in mind, willpower is finite. When you extend into extremely long hours, you tend to tap out your willpower.
Finally, I wanted to share a few tips for making the most of your project sprints:
- If you can, get a group of like-minded people together to do a working session. Being surrounded by others who are working on projects is incredibly motivating.
- Gamify it. We got to ring a bell every time we crossed off a task or project and got to collect a poker chip, which could be used to “buy” a few minutes of a fellow SuccessLabr’s time (if you needed help on something) or can be used down the road for other services.
- Have a focus going into it. We all pow wowed at the start of the night to discuss what are goals were for the evening and what projects we were each working on. This was all documented to help hold us accountable.
- Don’t try to be a superhero. If you have multiple things you want to work on, limit your initial list to two or three items, if you complete them, then refer to your larger list. But again, extract two to three and don’t give any attention to the other items until you complete these. When you have too many items, you run the risk of getting overwhelmed.
