I wonder if you suffer from the same problem as me? I am a much better starter than finisher. My home and office can become a wasteland of unfinished projects. Generally speaking, I have no problem achieving liftoff. Landing the plane, however, can become a challenge.
After years of wrestling with this issue I have been able to determine 3 primary reasons I am a better starter than finisher.
I lose interest.
I am fascinated by ideas and potential. In the early stages of a project everyone is generally doe-eyed with anticipation of what could be. But, as we all know- not all ideas are good ideas. Sometimes, I lose interest in a project once I realize the potential I thought I saw turned out not to be so promising. This is actually a good type of quitting. It prevents you from wasting time on projects with little to no value.
I lose heart
Other, less noble times, I fail to finish a project when I realize how difficult it will be to achieve. My wife has asked me to hang shelves in her closet now for 3 months. On the surface this would seem to be a simple, straightforward task. But, for someone is handyman-challenged, I have learned that I will sub-consciously (or consciously) delay. This is perhaps the least excusable variety of quitting.
I lose sight
This third category is where most of my projects come to die. When I think through the list of my unfinished projects I can see in almost each one where I let the “perfect” become the enemy of the “good”. I will be the first to tell you that I am not a perfectionist. But I usually have a vision in my mind about how a particular thing should be.
When my first draft or attempt to create that ideal image falls short I can get stuck in a pattern of churning that fails to produce a finished product. I would rather produce nothing at all than to produce something I see as less than my ideal image.
Landing the Plane
This is still something I am working to improve but here are some simple steps I am implementing to break this cycle and finish more of what I start.
- Counting the Cost- By taking a little more time on the front end I can help reduce the amount of drag I experience in the first 2 categories of stall out. When I invest more time in planning out the project before beginning I am able to see the true merit in it as well as the true cost (time, energy, money) that it will take to complete it.
- Push Something Out the Door- it is really my thinly veiled ego that often prevents me from finishing projects. I don’t want people to think that my first draft is the best I am capable of doing. So instead, when I fail to produce anything at all people think I am incompetent instead of untalented. Not a good trade off!
Lately, I have made it my goal to put out a first version as soon as it meets a few minimum standards I set in my planning process. This minimum viable product (MVP) is not the final edition, but it is good enough to use as a tool to evaluate the direction I am heading in. Eric Ries book The Lean Startup has been very helpful in shaping my thinking on this topic.
By using these simple steps I can already see a difference in the number of projects that I am able to complete. And, that is a great feeling.
*Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
