Because I have a technical mind, I always think about improving or optimising routines around me.
In this case, I decided to use a well-known approach of using Agile methodology to apply to some areas of my personal life to gain some improvements and have transparency regarding what is going on. At the same time, using Kanban/Scrum methods helps to understand the overall picture as well as gives an option to change the plan any time if needed with fewer issues.
Meaning of Agile. Credits http://electric-cloud.com
Well, what did I have?
I aim to run a full marathon on the 5th of May 2018 in Rotorua. I have not run a long distance before — only a half marathon race. Moreover, the secondary goal is to finish in less than 4 hours. I want to have the ability to track my progress as well as have a full picture of the process. Another nice-to-have feature is to be flexible and adapt to possible upcoming changes through feedback from my body. Do not need to forget about keeping my motivation for the whole time.
What have I got?
- Project called “ Marathon preparation ”
- Goal — prepare to run a marathon smoothly. Secondary goal — run on a sub 4 hours.
- Deadline (ETA) — 05/05/2018
- Sprints — either “3 x 4 weeks + 2 final weeks” or “4+5+5 weeks”
- Tasks — actual runs
Strava Runner Profile | Vladimir Semenov @pov.runner
- Roadmap — 14-weeks preparation plan
Project roadmap
- Standup — brief check of the run requirements before actual run
- Release — writing articles about the process at the end of a Sprint
14-week marathon preparation (weeks 1–4)
- Retrospective — creating a script to calculate time estimate for an actual marathon before it happens. I am a Developer, so why not write some code?
thesun2003/marathon-prediction
- Retrospective Report — writing articles about the results of the script with additional information
Analyse yourself or how could Python help to achieve your goal?
Should you try it?
Overall, it helps me to keep on track with the progress, to have a list of upcoming things to do and to provide visibility.
In a nutshell, I believe that for some long-paced goals, people could also transform their goal to an Agile project to achieve all the pros provided by using this methodology and reach their goal more smoothly.
If you would like to achieve your goal the same way, it is better to try. Do not be afraid — it does not bite you! However, it could lead to achieving with less effort and more fun.
You do not have to use all features of the Agile process and follow all rules. You can start by breaking down your main task into small steps and accomplish them individually. By the way, you do not even need to follow them strictly — you are in an Agile process, which has flexibility. In this case, you might be able to change the approach and the rules altogether. All actions are good if they bring you closer to your main goal.
If you need advice on how to put into practice a similar transformation for any kind of long-lasting goal to an Agile project and you have questions on how to do it properly, do not hesitate to ask me!
Together, we can easily overcome any obstacles to achieve a great result.
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