There are several reasons why people don’t complete things.  It may be they see the task or project as too large, or they’ve run out of time or they would just prefer not to do it because it’s not enjoyable any longer.

You probably have things incomplete, too. We all do. It’s in our human nature.

That’s OK  – because fortunately there are strategies that can help you move from frustration to completion.

Here are seven ideas on how to move from frustration to finished:

1. Raise your standards.   When you raise your standards – you can rise above most of the problems that occur when you are just trying to complete something.
2. Honor your boundaries.  Avoid letting distractions, people and fur-lined rabbit holes pull you away from the importance of completing on your opportunity/project. It can be helpful to set criteria questions to help you do this. Is this more important than my outcome? Or does this distraction honor a value that is more important than my project? The more clear you are on what you say yes to and what you will say no do – the less distracted you will become by the maybe’s in life.
3. Get amazing at planning and handling your time.  When you plan in both big picture and step-by-step detail – you are able to measure time more accurately. Knowing what to do when - is a by product. When you know when you need to complete – you can, with the understand of how long something takes – you can reverse – plan.
4. Get the help you could use.  Make requests of others. When you ask for help – and allow yourself to work in your own area of strengths you create space in which you can put effort and creativity. It’s possible to so much more with others – than you can do yourself.  It does require you to put aside a bit of ego – but the rewards are usually increased effectiveness.
5. Feel those feelings when they come up.  Completion delay – can sometimes be – because you might not want to feel something.  It’s human nature to want to avoid what feels uncomfortable.  The opportunity is to make a practice of feeling all there is to feel.  The by-product is that you move through stuckness a lot quicker that you would if you avoid the feelings.
6. Learn in action.  Taking all the action you can and as quickly as you can – can be one of the quickest way to move from start to finish.  Learn from failure and create and innovate with the information you receive from the feedback you receive.
7. Leverage tools and structures for effectiveness. This is an expansive idea. This could mean anything from creating inspiration to pull you forward or using technology to manage your project or opportunity. Identify what tools and structures would create an environment for your success – and then use them consistently (This is one of those places where a coach can really help you).

 

It would be easy to include any of the seven ideas into your personal leadership development plan to improve on your desire to be better at completing things. To start – begin by just picking one idea – and expand on it!

What ideas do you have for how to increase your own ability to complete things?