The 90-Minute Sprint

When Multitasking

Is Actually Just Multi-Failing

 

I stumbled across this mind-blowing Microsoft study that perfectly explains why we all feel so damn busy yet accomplish so little.

Their researchers found that when we get interrupted by a single message, we don't just lose the 10 minutes it takes to respond. We end up tumbling down a rabbit hole of other distractions, adding another 15 minutes before returning to our main task.

And sometimes these diversions lasted hours. HOURS! 

To all my single moms out there who only get 5+ hours a day to run your business and have personal time...here is what is even more wild.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen discovered that people who had to resist watching a funny video performed worse on their next task than those who watched it. WHAT!

SO, Does that mean I now have permission to watch all the steamy Pedro Pascal videos I want on TikTok? Otherwise, I'll be mentally drained just from the effort of resisting!

But seriously, I realized I was burning my creative energy just trying not to check Instagram while designing client books and sales pages. That's when I decided to try something different: the 90-minute sprint.

 

 

 

Here's what completely shifted my productivity this week:

1. I set a timer for 90 minutes
2. Put my phone in another room (bye-bye, tempting IG algorithm)
3. Closed all browser tabs except the one I needed
4. Worked on ONE thing until the timer went off

When time was up, I gave myself permission to:

• Refresh my coffee
• Sit in the sunshine
• Talk to my plants (they missed me!)
• Eat one of those protein balls I made (or let's be real, a Rice Krispie treat too.)

I did three of these sprints on Tuesday and created more quality work than I had all of last week.

But the biggest surprise wasn't my productivity—it was how I felt afterward. Calm. Focused.
Not that scattered, anxious feeling that makes me want to turn on Netflix and veg out on the couch at 4pm.

 

 

Brain Science Basics

 

This isn't just some productivity hack I copied from my Marketing mentor (thank you, Brianca!)

Our brains naturally work in 90-minute cycles of high-energy focus followed by 20-minute recovery periods. Working this way means we're flowing with our brain's natural rhythm instead of fighting against it.

Plus, there's this thing called "attentional residue" that happens when we bounce between unfinished tasks. When you switch from your half-done sales page to answer emails, part of your brain is still stuck on that sales page. You're never fully present for either task.

That's why 90 minutes hits the sweet spot—long enough to actually finish something meaningful, but short enough that you don't burn out.

 

 

 

---

 

What I'm Working On:

I started a new weight lifting class called MB360 at Lifetime, and man, oh man, mornings have been brutal. Getting up at 6 am with sore arms, abs, and legs is a whole different ballgame than it was in winter. 

So I've completely rethought my Morning Ritual. I'm now doing a DE JA VA practice that my coach, Lauren Zander, taught me. It's not Déjà Vu (that weird feeling you've lived a moment before)—DE JA VA is where you script your future as if it's ALREADY happening and send it to the universe like a freakin' love letter. 

Her client who wrote 180 DE JA VAs discovered 60% HAD ALREADY HAPPENED without him even noticing! I was like, um, sign me up for that manifestation magic! Make to check out the first one I shared publicly.

BEFORE / AFTER 

 

 

What I'm Loving:

Noa's new joke: "Mom, who has curly hair and a great smile, and who I love the most, more than anybody in the world?" And I say, "I don't know who," and she says, "YOU!"

How can you not snuggle that little munchkin longer in the morning?

 

 

What I'm Celebrating:

In a 55-minute 1:1 session with Laura this week, we created five completely written and personalized email templates for her to use for enrollment and sales, and a pricing strategy for her retreat offerings.

As Laura put it at the end: "That was excellent, amazing! So efficient—thank you very, very much!" That's the power of two creative minds without the ping of notifications or the pull of other tabs.

When you work with me, this is exactly the kind of efficiency you get—stunning visuals and on-point verbiage, created in half the time you'd spend doing it alone.

 

 

  

---

✿

If you're overextended, over-distracted, or overwhelmed (and who isn't?), I'm inviting you to try the 90-minute sprint with me.

Your formula:

1. Choose ONE important task
2. Set a timer for 90 minutes
3. Remove ALL distractions (seriously, all of them)
4. Work until the timer goes off
5. Take a real break (20 minutes minimum)

Try this just once and notice not only what you accomplish, but how you feel afterward.

In a world obsessed with multitasking, the real secret to creative breakthrough is permitting yourself to do just one thing at a time, beautifully and completely.

 

Until next Sunday, keep creating with intention (and maybe watch that Pedro Pascal video as a reward ;)

Erica