On Finishing What You’ve Started

TL;DR @mariommontreal

For years I struggled to get started.

No matter what kind of project or personal challenge, I failed most of the time. (If I could back all the time overthinking… life goes on, don’t dwell on the past. Use it to learn and improve yourself.)

But finishing was even harder…

…Until I learned this one simple thing:

Here’s what I learned (in a nutshell)

Once I‘m in the flow, I am “unstoppable.” The challenge has been to find the right timing to “stop” and “ship” (read: publish).

A Love/Hate Relationship

I hate deadlines.

I love freedom and independence.

It took a long time for me to realize that deadlines equal freedom.

The closer I moved to a deadline (whether a self-imposed deadline or a deadline given by an authority, a teacher in the school)…

…The harder I worked. The more I got done in less time.

• I put more productive (!) hours in.
• I edited without mercy.
• I shipped it.

I finished.

In Conclusion

Finish what you’ve started by setting a specific deadline.

A day in the calendar.

(Sub-deadlines are optional; whatever works for you.)

Make it achievable, yet challenging.

That’s the key.

That’s it.

No magic.

This article was first published on 3 June, 2021 on MarioMontreal.com