Optimize for Finishing

Let’s talk about finishing.

We focus so much of our time and interest on starting.  The idea.  The plan.  The product.  The momentum.

Most of us are excellent starters.  Very few of us are finishers.

We see others launch and grow products.  It’s inspiring!  Because all we see is the final version, the finishing touches, the polish, the stuff intended to be seen.

What we don’t see is the grunt work, the trials and errors, the drafts that were scrapped along the way.  We don’t see or feel the self-doubt, the second guessing, and the emotional toll of pushing through that.  We don’t see the ruthless management of time required to make room for creating and finishing on time.

Finishers know the risks.  They know what the work looks like.  They know what it feels like to do the work when they’re not in the mood.

The excitement of starting only gets you 10% of the way there.  The other 90% is the work and discipline required to finish.

The more you optimize for finishing, the more things you’ll finish.

The more things you finish, the more you learn.

The more you learn, the better you get at choosing what to start.