How To Finish What You Start

One of the main challenges when it comes to completing tasks is that we often get distracted by other things we feel require immediate attention, causing us to constantly context switch.

We tend to convince ourselves that when these distractions arise, they require immediate attention, such as immediately returning an email. At Launch, when we are all set up on our laptops on our first day, our email notifications are turned off for this very reason. This means we open our emails when we have time for it and when we want to make emails a focus for our next time block. I highly recommend this.

Here are 5 ways to help finish what you start.

1)??????Acknowledge the specific goal

The first step is to have complete clarity on the specific goal. What is the goal? Why is it important? What do you hope to achieve? This will help you get clear on your WHY and give you motivation and purpose. Another good idea here, is to share this goal with others. You are 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down, when you are vividly describing your goal on paper. You are then further likely to achieve a goal when you share it with others as it creates a sense of accountability. I recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear for some inspiration on goal setting.

2)?????Budget your time and energy accordingly

Now you are clear on your goal, you should have a realistic idea of the time and effort needed to complete it. Plan your time and resources accordingly and add this into your calendar.

One of the reasons people may feel like the fail is if they do not budget enough time for a certain task and underestimate the amount of work required. Good planning helps you plan out your energy and expectations. If your goal requires a lot of energy, and you are a night owl, it makes sense for you to slot in a time in the evening to complete the task.

3)?????Apply the “rule of one”

Psychologically, we feed off feeling like we have completed something. The challenge with bigger goals if that they often take longer to complete, and as a result, is one reason why we may not follow through. Cue, the rule of one. The rule of one reshapes our perspective on what it means to accomplish things. For example, if your goal is to rewrite a training manual for employees, and you know it will take you two months to complete, instead of feeling overwhelmed everyday that it is not completed, schedule 30 mins – 1 hour of time each day that will be devoted to that task. This means everyday you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you actively worked on the goal for 30-60 minutes, and technically accomplished that goal for the day.

4)?????Quit being a perfectionist

I think many of us are guilty of this! If perfectionism hinders your ability to just start, break down the task into many little steps. And then break the little steps into even smaller steps. The idea is that you will be left with such a simple task that you can tick it off with ease.

Alternatively, if we start to do something and we are stalled at a certain stage of the project, we tend to go in circles trying to find a solution. The best thing to do here, is park this, and move on to the next stage if possible and then go back to the initial part with fresh eyes.

5)?????Follow the easiest / most enjoyable path!

This one is my favourite. If one of the reasons you are struggling to complete tasks is because you don’t enjoy the task overall, or you have imposter syndrome, pick the easiest part of the task to start with.

Sometimes we think we have to go in a certain order to complete tasks when in reality, instead of doing task 1, then 2 then 3, if we find task 4 the most fun to do, can we start there? ?Using the training manual example again, let’s say we wanted to create a manual on effective project management. You may think you have to start from Initiation, but if you have a great way of articulating the best way to manage the Monitoring process, start there. This gives us a bit of momentum and / or confidence to keep going.

Sometimes we get discouraged by all the things we need to do and it can seem like no matter how much we do, we do not get any closer to completing tasks. This is because many of us tend to focus on the last step as the most important task, but really, everything you have done so far, contributes to the final product. Doesn’t this mean everything you have done so far IS an accomplishment? Take time to celebrate your wins so you can enjoy the process.