Momentum

Momentum happens in many timeframes: today, the next two weeks, months, quarters and years. Momentum means that in each timeframe, we have four kinds of tempo: things we have yet to begin, things we are beginning, things we're making progress on and things we're completing. It's the mix of tempos in timeframes that gives momentum its character. 

The power of momentum is how it creates energy that supports our efforts and actions. Without momentum, we have to manufacture energy, which is a Catch-22 because we have to have enough energy in the first place to manufacture energy for effort and action. This is one of the secrets to high performance.

Why deadlines don't (really) matter

In spite of the continued superstitious belief in the power of deadlines most are not met. Whether we set our own or others set them for us they either drive us crazy and cause costs to exceed benefits or we simply experience the remorse or blame in our failure to meet them. It would be nice if deadlines mattered but in truth they often don't.

What does matter is how clear we are in become on the good we seek and the tempo of our momentum toward that good. When we achieve things within satisfying timeframe it's because of the tempo of our momentum not necessarily the timeframe of our motivation. When we get things done on time it's because of this tempo. When we don't get things done on time it's because we're out of tempo we simply lack the momentum necessary for the timing we desire.

So instead of wasting time talking about deadlines we should be talking about how we can create momentum, what that looks like and how we can sustain it with frequent check ins and huddles.

The power of momentum

The more we come to understand the power of rhythm and tempo in any kind of activity the more we understand that the setting of deadlines that do not have a steady rhythm or tempo lacks power to make traction toward any kind of progress possible.

This is why agile project methodology that uses two weeks sprints has such enormous advantage over the traditional waterfall practice of sporadic deadlines that have no ready tempo.

The vast majority of deadlines in projects and planning are not and it is no coincidence given the fact that they do not represent a steady pattern of rhythm or tempo. Steady pattern of rhythm or tempo is something like deciding what's gonna be done every two days or every two weeks or every six weeks. Even within the micro world of tasks, checklists and subtasks momentum is steady activity where we feel we are in a redemptive flow on our way to starting and finishing each of these.

So the question that really drives momentum is the question of how often should we be working on this task or subtask checklist, rhythm and tempo?