Why 30 Day Improvement Sprints?  I get asked this often enough that I think I should distll the keys:

• I can commit to something for 30 days.  Starting something without an end in sight, can be daunting.
• It helps me deal with the now.
• It's a timebox to deliver value to myself.
• If I only do something ad-hoc now and then, I don't create an effective technique.  If I do a little each day, I find a way to reduce the friction.
• It lets me parking lot things I want to work on.  I can put something on the backburner if I know I have a way to pick it back up.
• It gives me a system to build a portfolio of improvements instead of cling to one-hit wonders here and there.
• If it's daily, it becomes a habbit.  If it's something I do a few days a week or only for a week, I don't build a routine.
• It's a long enough duration to see improvement or change approach.  I wonder how many things I tried in the past for a week, then stopped because I didn't see improvement?  If I'm not getting results, I have enough buffer to change my approaches or strategies.  Put it another way, 30 days gives me enough buffer to mess up.
• It's easier to buy into incremental, daily improvement versus big up front improvement or change.
• I'm a sprinter by nature.  While I've learned to pace by nurture, I prefer to put my all and do bursts.  It's when my energy is peak.

Because my 30 Day Improvement Sprints are so effective for me, I have to resist the urge to bite off too many areas at once.  In general, I try to balance between mind, body, career, financial, and relationships.  My scannable outcome lists help me checkpoint.  As a pattern, I do tend to focus heavily on career, but now that I see it, I can change it, if it makes sense.

Related Posts

• 30 Day Improvement Sprints 
• Making 30 Day Improvement Sprints More Effective
• Scannable Outcome Lists
• Prioritzing Scannable Outcomes