Starting projects but never finishing them...

[InstantNoodles]

Does anyone have this problem? What can be done?

Honestly, I am awful about this. My latest project (a content site) already has a domain registered and a logo made. But I can't get myself to do the last portion of it. The past two weeks I've barely done anything with it.

I am scatterbrained. I already have 3 new projects I want to get started on. ugh....

 

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[jon.a]

Does anyone have this problem? What can be done?

Honestly, I am awful about this. My latest project (a content site) already has a domain registered and a logo made. But I can't get myself to do the last portion of it. The past two weeks I've barely done anything with it.

I am scatterbrained. I already have 3 new projects I want to get started on. ugh....

You don't have the badge. Have you finished the book?

 

[InstantNoodles]

I have not.

 

[jon.a]

I have not.

Do an intro post, so we know what we have here.

 

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[Digamma]

I always struggled with this. I am a mix of ADD, laziness, and poor work ethic.
Unfortunately, you have to force yourself to stick with something and get it done. There is no magic pill.
Personally I am dealing with it by gradually increasing the size of my projects. Start small, with stuff that can easily be done in a few days, and use the feeling of accomplishment to fuel the next little project.

 

[mt_myke]

Unfortunately, you have to force yourself to stick with something and get it done. There is no magic pill.

This.

At some point your project turns from something you're driven to do out of excitement, to the same kind of work/effort needed for school or a job. You can use similar strategies. For example you can sign up to free online courses to learn how to do something. Sure you could just get the books and sites and do it yourself, but then it becomes easier to push out self-imposed deadlines or to skip/stop doing it entirely. If you do it through a class it forces external hard deadlines on you, and projects you aren't really into doing that cover material you don't care that much about. Otherwise you may forever start a project, do the "neat" part, then drop it once you don't want to do the rest of the boring stuff.

 

[AndrewNC]

I answered one possible solution in this post: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...iminate-a-negative-pattern.57988/#post-434319

 

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[Journey2Million$]

Does anyone have this problem? What can be done?
Honestly, I am awful about this. My latest project (a content site) already has a domain registered and a logo made. But I can't get myself to do the last portion of it. The past two weeks I've barely done anything with it.
I am scatterbrained. I already have 3 new projects I want to get started on. ugh....

You sound like a perciever (MBTI). You will probably always be fighting an uphill battle to get anything done.
You're not naturally wired to get things done.
Perhaps someone like you needs to be in a business that is very fun, in order to keep hold of your interest.
Also write down things on a todo list and try to set blocks of time when you have to work.

Also it's probably good for you to be in a business where you only have to work on short, simple projects.

I have a lot of projects I put aside, but I have a lot more that I finished. Sometimes I just
didn't feel like working on them. Sometimes they were difficult and
I put off finishing them for the future. Maybe you lost interest in your project. Try
different projects and see if any of them interest you enough to finish.

Google solutions for your problem.
You could try learning to make yourself more disciplined somehow.
You could try giving yourself rewards for finishing tasks.
I often don't feel like going to the market but if I promise myself a treat, it helps a lot.

Another trick is to force yourself to start working on something even if you don't feel like it. Just tell yourself you'll only work on it for 30 min or whatever. After a while you'll feel like continuing.

 

[InstantNoodles]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Yes, I am a perceiver (MBTI).

What about the issue of finishing projects versus starting new ones? I think my new ideas are better than my old one.

 

[Journey2Million$]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Yes, I am a perceiver (MBTI).

What about the issue of finishing projects versus starting new ones? I think my new ideas are better than my old one.

Then do the new ideas. You only have to finish a project if you think it's a good project and you think you have the ability to finish it. If you decide a project sucks, you can quit it.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I disagree with the idea that you have to force yourself to stick to things. Why would you force yourself to stick to a thing when you can do it effortlessly by building it into a habit? I've struggled with this a few times in the past and it wasn't until I started repeating processes that I was able to keep going even when I wanted to quit.

You don't force yourself to brush your teeth, because it's a habit.
You don't force yourself to shower, because it's a habit.
You don't have to force yourself to keep going, if you make it a habit.

I do agree with taking small steps, and achieving small goals each day, but not just because of the feeling of accomplishment. It's actually because this is how you form habits and build willpower. As you continue taking small steps toward your ultimate goal, your willpower grows stronger, because you cease to see obstacles as a struggle. Instead, they become more of a challenge to overcome. Then it is like a game, and when you feel like giving up, or changing projects, you'll simply brush the feeling off and keep going because that's what you've trained yourself to do.

 

[Journey2Million$]

I thought about mentioning habits. I recently listened to an audiobook about breaking habits and building new ones.

 

[TheNextTrump]

JUST DO IT.

You have a book your working on? Just finish it, and get it out there.

You have a content website your building? Just finish it, and get it live.

You have other bad a$$ projects lined up? JUST DO IT!

The fact is, the longer you (hold off) and move on to the (next) project, your just hurting yourself.

I to deal with this problem, but I DEAL with it and suck it up. It sucks, believe me. Something I still have yet to master, but all in due time.

I have found one MAJOR POSITIVE out come out of it tho, and that's the fact I have 30 projects already pass the first steps.

I'm also seeing that some of my PAST attempts of launching a new project all seem to come back into play at the right time. For example, one PROJECT I'm working on, I've basically STARTED 10 different approaches over the past 4 years. But now, that I'm actually making shit happen, these mini projects are all lining up and benefiting my day to day operations. Not sure if that makes sense, but ALWAYS try to focus on the POSITIVE I guess is what I'm trying to stay. Just because a (project) goes dormant for a while, does NOT mean it's history. IMO

It aint easy my friend, it's actually incredibly hard, but I'll say one more time. JUST DO IT!

Good luck on your journey!

 

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[Journey2Million$]

I disagree with the idea that you have to force yourself to stick to things. Why would you force yourself to stick to a thing when you can do it effortlessly by building it into a habit? I've struggled with this a few times in the past and it wasn't until I started repeating processes that I was able to keep going even when I wanted to quit.

You don't force yourself to brush your teeth, because it's a habit.
You don't force yourself to shower, because it's a habit.
You don't have to force yourself to keep going, if you make it a habit.

I do agree with taking small steps, and achieving small goals each day, but not just because of the feeling of accomplishment. It's actually because this is how you form habits and build willpower. As you continue taking small steps toward your ultimate goal, your willpower grows stronger, because you cease to see obstacles as a struggle. Instead, they become more of a challenge to overcome. Then it is like a game, and when you feel like giving up, or changing projects, you'll simply brush the feeling off and keep going because that's what you've trained yourself to do.

I think you may have come up with the solution for me to be more productive. I never work according to a schedule and I thought that was OK, but maybe I actually have to use a schedule in order to create good work habits for myself. I'm going to try actually working according to a daily schedule, i.e. work at the same times every day. It's gonna suck not being able to sleep any time I want to though. But I guess it'll be worth it if I can make a lot more money.

 

[RazorCut]

A habit structure is very important if you want to progress. Your body loves repetition and routine even if you consciously hate it (which I did and still do at times). Habit and routine is why you can wake up the same time every morning, just before the alarm goes off. It's why you can drive a car or put your clothes on without actually consciously thinking about it. Embrace it, its how you get to be expert at things.

If you are only going to be completing 60% of a project and that project requires 90% completion to actually be worth while (as in create an income stream) then there is no point even starting it is there?

You need to build a habit that says you will not start a new project until the first one is successful (or proven that it cannot be a success).

You are probably spending too much time reading this forum and others when you should be working on your business. You then read something that gives you an idea for a new venture and off you go to research that leaving your current project behind.

You need to focus, cut back on the time wasting aspects of your life.

Just think:

“FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful” - Robert Kiyosaki

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Work Week

Spend a couple of days getting your shit in order. List all your projects that you have started and not completed. List all the new projects you are thinking of starting. Put them in order of most likely to succeed. Run them against MJ's business potential analysis then pick the best ONE and stick with it. Don't look at anything else. That is your ONE and ONLY task. Finish that project.

You will feel like a king once you have accomplished it. Think of a suitable reward, something meaningful to you and give it to yourself IF and only IF you follow through.

 

[Birdie]

If you are having trouble getting something done, try changing your environment.

If you are at home, it's very easy to get distracted by your Facebook feed, your other projects, tv....

However, if you go to the library or a place without distractions or interruptions for some hours, and just focus on getting that task done, you will most likely finish it. Set a deadline and just do it.

Once you have set a deadline, create expectation from other people. Tell a friend or just anyone that you are going to do this xx thing and tell them why it's important you do it.

If you haven't done it, you will see disapointment and this might fuel you to focus and get it done. You need to put some sort of pressure so that you feel like it needs to be done.

By the way... You made a whole post about not doing something. Think that it could have been done by now already if you had used all that energy in doing it instead.

 

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[William Gibson]

This just hit home for me. thanks you @Birdie @RazorCut

 

[biophase]

Does anyone have this problem? What can be done?

Honestly, I am awful about this. My latest project (a content site) already has a domain registered and a logo made. But I can't get myself to do the last portion of it. The past two weeks I've barely done anything with it.

I am scatterbrained. I already have 3 new projects I want to get started on. ugh....

You are not scatterbrained, you did not just start a project, you didn't do anything.

1 minute to register a domain
10 minutes to make a logo

You call 11 minutes of work starting a project and not finishing one?

Next time, do the hard work first, do the logo and domain last.

 

[RazorCut]

This just hit home for me. thanks you @Birdie @RazorCut

Hope you can build the habits you want. It's not the one big thing we do that makes us successful, its all the little things we do everyday that accumulate over time that makes all the difference.

 

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