As Entrepreneurs we have no shortages of ideas. Some good, some bad, and some downright terrible, and with that comes many projects. Now a lot of emphasis is placed on the speed of implementation, but the real emphasis should be completion.
Simply put an unfinished job does nobody any good. There are many excuses as to why a project is not completed but no good reason. You’ll see it everywhere you go from big corporations, small shops, and everyday households. Ideas that are half-completed and abandoned for the next shiny object.
If you string along enough of these half-completed projects it becomes a habit, and soon you’ll have trouble finishing anything. It’s a self-sabotaging script that plays on repeat and you may fall into the same tricks time and time again. So it’s critical that every project has a start but more importantly an end date.
What you can do to change this habit
Without it you have a bunch of would be ideas and a portfolio riddled with I owe you’s. So to counteract the squirrel syndrome you have positioned yourself correctly. You must have a structured and detailed time line with check points along the way. Layout tasks and dates that correspond to consistent progress pushing you towards your ultimate goal. By doing this you give yourself a tangible way to measure advancement which encourages you to stay the course.
Consistency is the key, without it you will lose momentum and stall out. So you must create a system that keeps you focused and moving in the right direction. If at any point you dip in production or motivation you run the risk of losing it all. It’s far easier to maintain a regular level of production rather, than putting 110% effort one day and 30% another.
Lets use the tortoise and the hare example. Everyone knows that the tortoise was outmatched by the faster rabbit, but he had a consistent pace that ultimately pushed him past his sporadic opponent. By applying this principle to your everyday work you make it easier to finish projects.
Another trick is to knock out the biggest task early. Get it out of the way as soon as possible and you’ll find that everything you do after will be easy by comparison. Not only do you finish the most difficult assignment, but you give yourself the mental boost to keep going.
Not all projects are destined to be completed
People change, times change, and sometimes it’s just not feasible. Volatility is part of the world we live in, and sometimes we have to pivot and move on to the next big thing, just make sure it’s for the right reasons.
You must learn to spot and weed out stale ideas in the development stages of projects before any resources are committed to any one concept. It’ll save you time and effort that can be used for ideas that you can actually implement quickly, and successfully. So do yourself a favor and keep yourself accountable for what you say. Make sure that you turn your words into reality by taking action because ultimately you are judged by what you finish, not what you start.
“It is in doing things and not reading about them that results come about.” – Stephen Richards
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