Success Discipline: The 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Finishing What You Start

Success at anything requires focus and discipline and business is no exception. If all you manage to do is finish EVERYTHING you start, you are way ahead of the game. Let’s face it – even if you finished half of what you started, you would be way ahead because as entrepreneurs, we are a creative (aka distractible) lot.

Call it perfectionism, call it shiny object syndrome, but it seems we are doomed to get stuck at the 80% complete mark. All those BIG ideas wasted because you couldn’t focus long enough to check off the last few to-do’s and make that idea a reality.

So, here’s my challenge to you, dear readers: finish what you start (or don’t start it at all). Make a shift of intention and only start things you INTEND to finish and then simply finish them. It really is that easy.

The 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Finishing What You Start

Do: Set Deadlines – Assign a concrete deadline for every task, every to-do, every project milestone and schedule it in your calendar. If you are the master at ignoring those little task deadline reminders, enlist your team to help keep you on track.

Don’t: Overschedule and Overload – Avoid the temptation to tackle a to-do list a mile long. Overloading your task list will only end up overwhelming you and the purpose is to finish what you start, not to start a million things at once. Limit yourself to 3 to 5 key accomplishments per day.

Do: Focus on One Task at a Time – Instead of thinking of your day at 9 to 5 to handle all your project tasks, think of it as a series of 20 minute workblocks. That means focusing on one task for 20 minutes before switching to ANYTHING else.

Don’t: Get Sidetracked by Interruptions – If you don’t want to get sidetracked by that telephone call from a client or fighting fires in your email, don’t answer them. Get in the habit of checking your voicemail and email at preset intervals throughout the day instead of responding to every blip and beep.

Do: Assign a Time Limit – Use a timer to stay on track with your tasks. If you give yourself unlimited time to accomplish a task, it never seems to get done or it takes forever. If, however, you set a concrete time limit and commit to sticking to it, you will get it done (trust me).

Don’t: Forget to Include Follow-up and Clean-up Time – Avoid turning cleaning your office into a distraction by giving yourself sufficient time at the end of every workblock to follow-up and clean-up. Follow-up includes sending out meeting notes or scheduling tasks. Clean-up means putting away files and clearing your space for the next task.

Do: Start Your Day with the Most Daunting Tasks – Take advantage of your peak energy early in the day by starting with the most daunting tasks. Save the easy administrative tasks for later in the day or those times when you need a mental break.

Don’t: Fall into the Morning ‘Social’ Trap – Never start your day answering email or playing social catch-up on the telephone or online. If your morning routine requires that you ‘check in’, set strict time limits.

Do: Set Concrete Daily Goals – Know exactly what you want to accomplish every day before you start tackling to-do’s or working on projects. Examples of concrete goals are closing a client, finishing your blog posts for the week, getting that paperwork off your desk and so on. The key to setting daily goals is to be specific.

Don’t: Neglect to Leave a Little Wiggle Room – Avoid the temptation to schedule your day down to the second. Leave yourself a little wiggle room to handle crisis’s or respond to unexpected opportunities.