Finish!: Give Yourself the Gift of Done – Jon Acuff
Setting new goals is easy, but finishing them is hard. In this blockbuster bestseller, the author shares his plans to help you actually achieve your goals.
Perfectionism kills
Although starting is difficult, ending is simpler. You can have a lot of incomplete tasks and other incomplete tasks. The majority of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail, according to studies, 92% of the time.
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People were more productive when they didn’t strive for perfection. Perfectionism stifles progress and prevents people from reaching their objectives.
Perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.
Let go of trying to be perfect in everything
Your most valuable resource is time. Put all of that work into achieving your goals. Setting priorities for your time management entails doing just that. You have to sacrifice some of your time for one aim in order to achieve another. No matter what you do, you can’t have it all.
You spend your life aiming too high if you’re like most people. You don’t need to lower your standards; just be honest with yourself about the limitations of your time and your abilities.
You have only two options right now.
1. Attempt more than is humanly possible and fail.
2. Choose what to bomb and succeed at a goal that matters.
Have Fun and Get It Done
Many people fail to achieve their goals because they think they are difficult. One huge lie that perfectionism tells you is that goals don’t count if they’re fun.
Scientists and others who study goal setting look at various factors, including satisfaction and performance success, measurements that capture “how you felt about the process” and “what you actually got done.”
Reward and Fear
Be careful how you package your fun. People respond, in general, to two types of motivation: reward and fear.
Some people live for the reward. When they know what they want, their instinct drives them to achieve it.
Fear also motivates people: They fear the consequences of not acting.
Your Hiding Places
Sometimes your hiding places—where you go to avoid work – are easy to find, such as watching your favorite show on Netflix when it’s time to clean the house. Some hiding places are sneaky; you think you’re being productive by emptying your inbox, but you’re actually avoiding writing your blog.
Your Noble Obstacles
Noble obstacles are chores you must finish before you can attack your real goals.
Noble obstacles often rely on the word “until”—as in, “I can’t do my taxes until I know what kind of business I’m really trying to build.”
Using “until” as an excuse seems respectable, but in reality, it’s just another form of perfectionism.
A New Way To Procrastinate
An alternative to saying “until” is saying “if… then.” It sets up a different form of procrastination.
You procrastinate or don’t start working because you’ve set an imaginary clock or pre-goal for yourself, and while waiting for that to happen, you come to feel as if it’s too late to start toward your goal. It’s never too late to try. You always have time to begin.
This goes against every sappy motivational statement…but if you dream too big at the start, you curse your finish.
Measure your goals and progress
Information helps you measure any number of things related to your goals: time, products sold, pounds lost, miles run, how much money you saved, and the like. Pick one to three aspects of your life to measure. You may be tempted to measure more, but start small.
When you’re successful, you can add more factors to measure. If you’re not happy with your progress, adjust your goal, timeline, or actions.
