Why You Can't Finish Anything

You'd think: "It's because I suck." And we'd go: "But, you don't suck! Yay! High-five!" <h2>So, why can't you finish anything?</h2> <ul> <li>Because there's no such thing as finishing.</li> <li>Because even if you've worked 9899875475698390 hours on Task XYZ, there will always be something else to do.</li> <li>Because when you've think you've finished, you've settled for mediocrity.</li> </ul> Peep this: <ul> <li>Google's still working on its search engine.</li> <li>Microsoft's still working on its operating system.</li> <li>Starbucks is still working on its coffee.</li> <li>Apple's still working on its notebooks.</li> <li>Renee Zellweger's still working on her face.</li> </ul> The point: <ol> <li>You will never finish anything.</li> <li>You can only "finish" what's sufficient for now.</li> </ol> <h2>"Then, how can I mutha-@#$%^ finish what's sufficient?!"</h2> Say your client wants Task ABC done, and you think: <ul> <li>"Hey! I must get this done, but I can't! Help!"</li> </ul> Then, King Task Finisher Person would slap you and say: <ol> <li>Finish something in 5 minutes.</li> <li>Now, finish something else in 5 minutes.</li> <li>Then, finish another thing in 5 minutes.</li> <li>Repeat process -- until client says: "By golly, by golly. You have impressed me, by golly."</li> </ol> Finishing big stuff takes completing a series of small 5-minute chunks of work. <h2>Five-Minute Chunks = Good</h2> So the next time you're procrastinating about "finishing" something, do this: <ol> <li>List several 5-minute chunks of work.</li> <li>Complete those mofos like you're a ridiculous stallion.</li> </ol> <h3>Still need more work to "finish"?</h3> <ol> <li>List several more 5-minute chunks of work.</li> <li>Complete those mofos too.</li> </ol> Repeat that process. Win. <h2>Mini five-minute chunks of work = deliciously good.</h2>   2007-12-09T19:56:00-08:00 true 592 why-you-cant-finish-anything

2009-11-06T21:45:46-08:00