Learn English – How to describe a person who is consistently attentive

phrase-requestssingle-word-requestssynonyms

I was trying to compare two coworkers work habits.

  1. One is a sprinter, he works hard for months at a time but eventually gets bored with projects that go longer than a few months.
  2. The other is a marathoner, he works hard on projects day-in and day-out even if they go on for a year or two.

I thought of a bunch of words that describe focus, but they describe short-term focus. Words like:

  • Attentive
  • Attention-span
  • Concentrate
  • Focused

But if I say the sprinter "has a limited attention span", most people would think he gets distracted by Facebook or the TV. What words or phrases would help me compare these two work ethics?

Best Answer

Marathoner and sprinter seem like the most likely terms to me, especially if you are contrasting the two styles. Many other words describing people have connotations beyond just how long they prefer their projects to last on average.

You could focus on the qualities of the projects they like to work on. One likes short-term projects, and changing situations. Adaptable, flexible, able to roll with the punches, change tolerant come to mind here as positive qualities the sprinter might possess.

The marathoner likes long-term projects, which means larger, more complex projects. Focused, sees the big picture, strategic planner come to mind here as positive qualities the marathoner might possess.