My first race was about to start! I was the seventh member of our high school seven-man cross country team, and certainly the least experienced—I knew I had to go all out to keep up with the pack.

The gun sounded and we took off. Amazingly, I kept up with them! This was easier than I thought! The course was mapped out with colored flags indicating which direction to turn. After the first mile, I became aware that after each turn, my teammates were farther ahead. How could that be? I was running just as fast as I could—but it appeared I was slowing down.

It turns out that my teammates knew an important race strategy that I didn’t: they ran negative splits.

The positives to running negative splits

A “negative split” means you run the second half of your race faster than your first. Anyone can and should run negative splits. Unfortunately, most runners don’t. Instead, they start in a near sprint, hang on through the middle, and resort to a survivor’s shuffle at the end. In contrast, those who opt for negative splits patiently run a bit slower for the first half of a run, then pick up the pace and finish with strength and speed.

Negative splits give your body several minutes to warm up. You’ll find yourself running faster without feeling any more effect.

The race is half over

Keeping the concept of a negative split in mind, let’s look at a different type of race. We’re at the halfway point of the year. Can you believe? How did we get here so fast?

The halfway point is a perfect time to review your progress for the year. We all get hung up on New Year’s resolutions and setting yearly goals—but few take stock of their progress throughout the year. It’s the perfect time to reflect and make course adjustments. To celebrate what’s been done, to recommit to a goal, or start something new.

What’s more, it’s time to run a negative split. However, you need to be realistic about where you are. Adjust and reset expectations if necessary, and be positive about what you’ll accomplish in the second half of the year.

Race smarter in order to race faster

One way to accelerate your pace is to adopt the right tools and technologies that keep you focused on accomplishing results and preserving and enhancing relationships.

What you need is PlanPlus Online Essentials—the ultimate go-to personal organizer. In fact, it’s your private productivity engine, your get-er-done secret weapon!

Don’t forget, you’re mid-race, you can’t put your life on hold while you try to get organized and figure out how to use a new tool! You need something that’s intuitive to your needs. You’ll never experience downtime or complications trying to learn Essentials. Essentials’ flexibility allows you to start organizing anywhere you want and hit the ground running—adding more as you go.

Faster, better, smarter

PlanPlus Online Essentials keeps your task list, calendar, contacts, and notes-to-yourself right at your fingertips and syncs from your personal computer to your smartphone or pad—so you can stay organized no matter where you go. All of your information is cloud-based and can be accessed at any time. Essentials’ cloud storage ensures you stay organized and never lose any information—no matter how many phones are dropped or computers crash.

All of your information is cloud-based and can be accessed at any time. Essentials’ cloud storage ensures you stay organized and never lose any information—no matter how many phones are dropped or computers crash.

Click here to find out more about PlanPlus Online Essentials.

Click here to learn more about Progressive Goal Planning.