How To Finish What You Started

Do you have multiple projects but never finish them? Do you get excited when you start something new but then lose interest during the process? I’m sure it happened to all of us. In this article, I will go through some of the How’s and Why’s to consider if you want get things done.

Find the true motivation

Think about the motivation that made you start in the first place. Is it something you are passionate about, or are you only doing for the profits? Is it something you need to do, or is it disposable? Are the reasons for doing it good enough to keep you going? Find the answers for these questions to discover your true motivation.

No ideas are good until you get them out there

Everyone has ideas and everyone thinks they would be great if someone ‘worked them up’, but what happens when we don’t work on these ideas? Well, they’re nothing but thoughts in our head. No one will be able to reach or see them, so it’s like they never existed.
Success requires a lot of time, effort and confidence. If you’re passionate and believe in your idea, go for it and don’t be afraid to fail/go out of your comfort zone. Do what it takes to move forward.

Be realistic about your projects

If your project doesn’t match your unrealistic expectations, you may get disappointed and want to quit. Planning and researching is the key to set the right expectations.
When you know what steps you need to take to achieve your goal, you will be more focused and willing to complete it.

Baby steps

You might get overwhelmed about all the work you have until you can see results from what you’re doing. If you set yourself small steps and goals, each of them will be little successes. Completing secondary goals will also give you the motivation to keep going.

As I mentioned on my 5 Things You Can Do To Be Or Feel More Productive post, rewarding yourself after you completed a step is important, as it keeps you motivated.

Don’t try to be perfect. Nothing is.

Accept the fact that what you imagine at the start won’t always be what you get in the end. Don’t feel unmotivated if things don’t go the way you wanted. Set yourself the goal of finishing your projects, even if they’re not perfect. Succeeding in life comes from learning, and learning comes from practice.

Base your work in the Agile Methodology. According to this article:

These [Agile] methodologies are rooted in adaptive planning, early delivery and continuous improvement, all with an eye toward being able to respond to change quickly and easily.

Agile is a way of working that consists in multiple iterations/improvements of an early release of a project. In practice, it means you get something out there, even if it has flaws, and improve it thought time.

Hope you find these tips helpful. Do you have any other tips on how to stay motivated and finish what you started? Do you have any projects you didn’t complete? Would love to know!

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All images from unsplash