Edition #20: The Focus Sprint Formula

 Here's What's Up:

• Why your brain hates task-hopping

• The anatomy of a perfect sprint

• The setup ritual that changes everything

• Barbara Corcoran's morning monopoly

• Your sprint blueprint

 Why your brain hates task-hopping

Think of your attention like a car engine. Every time you switch tasks, you're essentially turning the engine off and restarting it. Cold starts burn more fuel and take longer to get going.

Your brain works the same way. Jump from email to spreadsheet to presentation, and each transition costs you 3-5 minutes of mental ramp-up time.

Do the math: ten switches = 30-50 minutes of pure cognitive waste.

The solution isn't better multitasking (spoiler: it doesn't exist).

It's strategic monotasking: going full throttle on one thing until it's actually finished.

The anatomy of a perfect sprint

Choose your target ruthlessly. Not "work on the proposal" but "write the executive summary for the Johnson account." Vague goals produce vague results.

Engineer your bubble. Lock your door. Silence your devices. Create a workspace that whispers "nothing else exists right now." Your environment should feel like a sensory deprivation tank for productivity.

Deploy the 45-15 protocol. Forty-five minutes of laser focus, fifteen minutes of human maintenance (stretch, hydrate, stare at something that isn't glowing).

Banish the rectangle. Your phone lives somewhere else during sprints. Different room or whatever it takes to break the reflexive grab.

The setup ritual that changes everything

Smart sprinters don't wing it. They stage their success the night before.

Lock in your mission while your brain still functions. Depending on what you are up to, evening you makes better decisions than morning you. Pick your sprint target when you're sharp, not when you're hunting for coffee.

Eliminate tomorrow's friction. Files open, tools ready, workspace cleared. Remove every micro-decision that could derail your momentum.

Plant your flag. One sticky note, one sentence: "Start here." Make it impossible for morning you to get lost in the weeds.

Think of it as leaving coordinates for your future self. No navigation required—just follow the map.

Barbara Corcoran's morning monopoly

The Shark Tank queen doesn't share her first hour with anyone. Period.

Her fortress strategy:

• Information lockdown until 10 AM (no inputs, no distractions, no "quick questions")

• First hour reserved for one power move: the deal, the decision, the game-changer

• Meeting-free zone until the real work is done

• Core principle: "My morning belongs to me, not my inbox"

The payoff: One hour of offensive play beats a whole day of defensive reactions.

Your sprint blueprint

Pre-flight (tonight):

• Target selection: one specific, completable task

• Workspace staging: tools out, distractions buried

• Navigation aid: your "start here" sticky note

Launch sequence (tomorrow):

• Phone in exile, timer armed for 45 minutes

• Single-task tunnel vision until the bell rings

• Victory lap: notice how much ground you covered without the mental ping-pong