I’ve been thinking a lot about self-accountability since the timelines in grad school are so long, and there are fewer intermediate checkpoints than, say, being a data scientist at a startup, where I had big checkpoints (OKRs and sprints), small checkpoints (daily standup), and social pressure (teammates; products and features to launch).

I recreated this with personal quarterly OKRs, monthly goals that roll up into the quarterly OKRs, and daily to-do lists, but it’s not quite the same. It’s easy to convince myself that I can push myself enough without external drivers, but the reality is it’s very hard to do.

Deep work is effortful, tiring, and strains your mind, and it’s an unnatural behavior that requires a sustained force. I’ve noticed this in the people around me as well over the past two years.

I started this website to track my progress and hold myself accountable. Aside from writing, my other tactic has been a recurring check-in with good friends and fellow aspiring entrepreneurs. I set this up recently and I’m excited to see how it works out.

My check-ins are on bi-weekly and monthly intervals, and this got me thinking, is it possible to have even shorter feedback loops? I think it is.

  • Sprints. If you’re honest with yourself, it’s easy to tell when you’re sprinting vs not sprinting. Shane Parrish calls this running vs jogging. To be working fast enough, sprints are necessary. Obviously not all of the time or you’ll burn out, but there has to be some amount of it.
  • Where does your mind wander? A good sign that you’re moving fast enough is when your mind wanders to the latest problem you’re tackling when you’re not working. This is not healthy if overdone, but if it’s not happening at all, it’s a sign you’re not focused enough on it.