Stop Drifting, Start Sprinting
(The Finish Line Effect)
What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore
How Many Projects Have You Left Hanging?
Every business owner has a project they’ve been putting off. You tell yourself you’ll get to it when you have time—but weeks, months, even years pass, and it’s still sitting there, unfinished.
Maybe it’s launching a new offer. Maybe it’s overhauling your website. Maybe it’s a course you’ve been meaning to finish (I know that one firsthand).
Marcus Aurelius warned against this exact problem:
“Stop drifting… Sprint for the finish. Life is short. That’s all there is to say. Get what you can from the present—thoughtfully, justly.”
Most unfinished projects don’t stay unfinished because they’re too hard. They stay unfinished because there’s no urgency—no finish line to push toward. Without that, they get buried under all the little tasks and distractions that feel more urgent but don’t actually move you forward.
The kind of sprinting I’m talking about here doesn’t mean rushing around, trying to do everything at once. It means moving with purpose toward a clear goal, doing the most important things that will give you the biggest strategic advantage.
The Finish Line Effect: Why Open-Ended Goals Get You Nowhere
- When there’s no deadline, a project may or may not happen—but what’s almost guaranteed is that it won’t happen at the right time, or in the best way.
- Deadlines force decisions. Without them, projects sit in limbo, waiting for the “perfect” moment that never comes.
- Sprint toward what actually matters. Many business owners stay busy but aren’t really moving forward. Sprinting means focusing on what will have the biggest impact—not just checking off random tasks.
The CPA Who Drifted Instead of Sprinting
A friend of mine, a CPA, had an idea for a financial planning business on the side. He wanted to partner with real estate developers and investors to offer specialized financial services.
It was a great idea. But he didn’t set a timeline.
At first, he told himself he’d work on it “when things slowed down” at his firm. Then he decided to wait until after tax season. Then summer hit, and he was too busy taking care of personal obligations.
Eventually, the real estate developers he was hoping to work with moved on. The investors stopped asking. What could have been a profitable second business never happened, not because he lacked the ability—but because he never set a finish line.
If he had committed to launching within 90 days, things could have played out differently. The investors would have had a clear deadline to commit. The real estate developers wouldn’t have looked elsewhere. Instead of an idea that faded, he could have had a thriving second income stream.
Drifting didn’t just delay his business—it cost him the opportunity altogether. Now the thought of trying it again feels too painful.
Sprinting vs. Rushing: The Difference Between Progress and Burnout
A lot of people hear “sprint” and think it means working nonstop, grinding all day, every day. But that’s not sprinting—that’s just flailing around hoping something sticks.
Think of it like training for a marathon.
- Bad rushing is like preparing without a plan—you lift some weights, do a little swimming, run a few miles here and there, stretch when you remember, and maybe throw in some Pilates because, hey, flexibility is good, right? The effort is there, but it’s scattered. You’re doing a lot, but none of it builds toward crossing the finish line.
- Good sprinting is like following a structured marathon training plan. You increase your mileage systematically, build in rest days, run with a training group, and maybe even hire a coach. Everything is intentional. The effort isn’t just energy spent—it’s energy focused where it matters most.
That’s the difference between running yourself into exhaustion and actually moving toward something.
How an Ambitious Deadline Turned into Procrastination
I’ve been working on a course on and off for over a year now. At first, I set a tight deadline—probably too ambitious, in hindsight. I wanted to launch it fast, and at the time, I thought that pushing myself hard would be the best way to make it happen.
But what I didn’t account for was everything I didn’t know yet. I got bogged down in aspects of course creation I hadn’t even considered—technical details, content organization, the actual process of launching. And then, right as I was deep in it, I had a couple of months of travel coming up.
At first, I thought, No big deal—I’ll just work on it while I’m traveling. But that didn’t really happen. I gave myself some leeway. Then a little more. And before I knew it, months had passed, and the course was still sitting there, unfinished.
I didn’t stop because I didn’t want to do it. I stopped because there was no new deadline pushing me forward. And without that, it was easy to keep putting it off.
That’s what happens when there’s no finish line—you drift.
Recently, I decided to stop drifting and set a real deadline: March 31, 2025. Not a when I get around to it timeline—an actual launch date. And just setting that deadline shifted how I’m approaching the project. It feels like a priority again. It is a priority, but that feeling is what was missing and why I kept putting it off.
Sprint, Rest, Repeat: How to Work in Focused Bursts Without Burning Out
Sprint doesn’t mean grind nonstop. If you do that, you’ll burn out before you hit the finish line. The best sprinters push hard, but they also know when to rest.
How to Structure Sprints:
- Pick one high-impact project to focus on.
- Set a short, specific deadline (30, 60, or 90 days).
- Go all in on that one thing. No distractions, no side projects.
- When you finish, pause, evaluate, and reset for the next sprint.
Set Your Finish Line and Move Toward It with Purpose
- Take one major business goal and set a real deadline—not “when I get around to it.”
- Ask yourself: If I had to finish this in 30 days, how would I approach it differently?
- Be clear about what sprinting actually means for you. It’s not about speed—it’s about focused execution on what matters most.
Stop Drifting, Start Finishing
Right now, think of the one project you’ve been putting off. The one that, if finished, could actually move the needle in your business.
Got it? Good. Now set a deadline. Not ‘someday.’ Not ‘when things slow down.’ Pick a real date—30, 60, or 90 days. Write it down. Then start sprinting.
Because drifting won’t get it done—but decisive action will.
