Are you a STARTER or a FINISHER?

 I've been doing some high-end training lately and one of the things we've been talking about is becoming a finisher.

You see there are a lot of people out there who start stuff, but far, far less people who actually ever finish it.

Which is interesting, right???

I mean, they started it for a reason...

Because they wanted to accomplish something, or create something, or change something...

But for whatever reason after they had started, they just stop.

Which means now they are even farther from their goal than they were, because they have invested time, energy and probably money into something that they never bothered to finish.

SO why does this happen???

Well, for some it is just the fact they they couldn't be bothered putting in the work. The end goal, was not worth enough to them to make them put in the time and effort it required to get there.

And that's totally fine.

Not everybody has to be out there shooting goals.

But the vast majority of people who start something that they don't finish are frustrated by their apparent lack of commitment.

They want to accomplish their goal, they want to have their dreams, but they just can't seem to get there.

They scurry from tactic to tactic, caught up in shiny object syndrome...

Always starting but never finishing.

They are exhausted...

They are frustrated...

They are angry at themselves.

SO why, when they would love to be out there playing with the big boys, are they stuck not even being able to finish anything that they start?

Well, I think it all comes down to confusion.

First of all, they are confused about exactly what it is that they need to be doing.

This means that there is always a little bit of doubt in the back of their minds about whether what they are doing is the right thing or not.

Hence, when the next shiny object flashes by in their peripheral vision, they drop what they had started and chase that instead.

Secondly, I think they over complicate things.

Simple is doable...

Complicated in interesting.

Often the best strategy is a simple doable one...

Rinse and repeat.

In fact, the road to the top is 90% doing the same thing over and over again, 10% creating new things to do.

You need systems in place to remove confusion from your processes and to create predictability instead.

Starters are free-flowing. They are not 100% clear on what they are doing, on what their goal is, on what means they are done. This gives them doubt and means they are not 100% committed.

Finishers have systems in place. They are good at planning. They are disciplined and have some sort of accountability in place.

SO how can you switch from being a starter to a finisher?

Well, there are 3 main principles to being a finisher that I am going to share with you now.

1. Define the Finish Line

You need to define exactly what it means for you to have finished something for you to know that you are done.

This is especially important when you are tackling a large project.

You don't want to go after that all at once...you're going to choke on it for sure.

You need to break that bad boy down...

Eat it bite by bite...

Which means that it becomes a series of mini-projects.

Once you have your mini-projects, you need to define EXACTLY what each of these consists of.

So for example...

When I am creating a course, I don't just write down Create Course on my planner.

I start with Create Course Outline.

But then I go even further than that...

I define EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS TO ME to have created the course outline.

So to have created the topics, to have created a summary of each topic, and to have worked out what the bonuses are and exactly what they entail.

I know that once I have completed all those tasks, I have successfully finished that project.

2. Identify The Obstacles

You need to know exactly what obstacles are going to come up and possibly stop you from finishing your tasks.

These are made up of 4 different things:

a. Stoppers - Things that are going on in your own head that drain away your ability to work. Things you are telling yourself, stories you have created.

A conversation, a reason, an excuse that stop you from taking action.

b. Habits - Non-productive habits that we have that stop us from doing what we want to do and cause us to procrastinate.

Things like doing the easy stuff first. Sleeping in. Watching television. Checking Social Media.

These take you away from the time you need to do what you need to get the job done.

If you are doing them in time you have allotted for that, fine. but if not. then you are letting these habits steal your dreams. 

c. Urgers - Urgers are distractions that come up while you are working. SO notifications that pop up on your screen that create an urge inside you to see what's going on. Texts arriving on your phone. AN urge to make yourself a coffee, even though you only had one twenty minutes ago.

Little things like that that take you away time and time again from what you are creating. 

It might not seem like much, but these urges, and the distraction they cause, will seriously disrupt your workflow.

When you turn off all your notifications on your computer and phone, and recognise and deny urgers as they arise, your productivity will go through the roof.

All of a sudden you will be capable of sitting down and GETTING TO WORK in a way that means you accomplish more in a few hours than you normally would in a day.

Not only does this mean that you will get to your goals faster, but it means you will have more free time do the things in life you love. 

d. Blockers - These are external things that block you from getting work down. Partners, children, family members. Incoming calls, dogs, cats. 

People making you feel guilty for working, people demanding your time.

If you want to create a big business, you need to treat it like a big business now.

You need to respect yourself, your goals and your time enough to stand up for them, and protect your right to work. 

3. Own Your Calendar

If you feel overwhelmed or find yourself procrastinating, it's because you are not managing your time effectively.

The thing is, either you will plan your time, or someone else will plan it for you.

Time blocking in a calendar is a perfect way for you to allot time for intense periods of work.

It also means that you are not spending all your time working, because you are able to get more done in less time because you are eliminating the urgers, blockers, habits and stoppers that would have normally been acting like an anchor to your progress. 

Work out your projects, what finishing them means, how many hours it will take you to finish them, and then block off the necessary time within your calendar to get the job done.

Then, and this is important, set a reward for yourself for finishing, and a consequence if you don't. 

For example, the project I am working on at the moment gives me a massage when I finish. If I don't get it done by the deadline I have set for myself, I have to go for a run. YUCK!

I think at the end of the day, to be a finisher you have to WANT TO FINISH. You have to want the success that is going to come when you actually start making ground.

For some, this success is scary. They don't feel worthy, or good enough. Some don't actually think they deserve it.

For you to become a finisher, you have to be committed to the actual process of growing your business, and resigned to the fact that you are going to be in discomfort as you grow.

And then you need to remove the confusion by working out what you need to actually do to build out your business. 

If you think that confusion is one of your main problems...

That knowing what to do would allow you to get to work and do it...

Then we need to talk. 

You see this is what I do. I take the complicated world of online business and I simplify it down into actionable steps.

I teach coaches and consultants on how to build out the foundational marketing of their business.

Jump on my calendar to chat to see how I can help you. https://donnajoyusher.com/deep-dive

In your corner,

Donna Joy