How To Finish What You Start!
- The Juggling Act
Life can seem like a circus at the best of times, with you performing your juggling act as the star of the show. However, you’re not juggling balls! You’re busy trying to keep your business and personal life moving steadily in a forward direction, whilst trying to balance all that with some time for yourself. You schedule begins to feel more like climbing up a mountain whilst lugging an elephant up with you that is constantly weighting you down. Your juggle feels more like a struggle and sounds more like fighting off and dodging distractions, paper clutter, deadlines, mundane day to day routines, appointments and all things personal just to mention a few and we haven’t eve go to our Things To Do List yet.
However, you will be ready to get started and be on your way to finishing what you decided to start on in the first place by simply being resourceful and knowing how to better spend your time, money and energy. You have your Strategy and practical tactics at hand and you are ready to focus on the most important task first by working smart and not harder.
2. What Should I Be Spending My Time On?
The obvious things are Work for financial freedom and family being the people who matter in our lives. However, there must be some point where you take back some of your time and focus in on yourself and becoming the best version of you by doing whatever makes you feel complete. Then ask yourself…What Could I Be Spending My Time Doing? Then go do that!
3. Time Spending Checklist:
- Ask yourself, What am I most passionate about? Then get started on that one thing specifically with fierce clarity!
- Look at what resources you have to allow you to get started on that one thing. That may being with what you know or getting help from someone with expertise who has already done what you are wanting to do and can guide you through the process. This may also require you to be resourceful in different ways.
- Managing how you spend your time and energy by setting a deadline as to when you would want to finish what you are starting. Be realistic and also be flexible if needed. The goal is to actually accomplish it and no one ever achieved the success of their dreams by giving up!
- Use the 80/20% rule and stop obsessing on perfectionism. I had to break this to myself first and now to you all. There is no such thing, so quit procrastinating as it’s going to tear you apart.
- Be accountable for yourself by making that commitment and sticking to it through the failures and the highs and lows to finally finishing what you started.
- Visualise yourself having finished what you started and how it feels so you can connect on a deeper level.
- Be on that “watermelon sugar high” — Harry Styles…every day with a great big smile on your face. You know where you started and you’re enjoying the ups and downs and learning from your failures to be stronger and more resilient. You’re leaning as you go and you will earn the right to be all that you can be.
- You’re finally on track and on your path to success. You know that you are walking towards your true calling its only a matter of time.
- Celebrate life in general but more importantly celebrate each step of you journey. This is what shapes you and turns you into an incredible human being. Like stopping to smell the roses you could share your discoveries, adventures and you’re ups and down and failures to make a difference in someone else’s life. This is very powerful!
- Enjoy the rewards for your hard work and dedication. I remember receiving the Australian Achievers Award for Business in the Music & Entertainment Industry twice but that was only after a decade of being highly commended. Sometimes you have to push through and focus on the your goal to do better and be recognised for your efforts.
4. Ways To Work Smarter Not Harder:
- Block out your calendar in advance so you are clear about what you are doing and can focus on being really productive
- Rise and shine bright and early and roll out your morning routine
- Have your Things To Do List on hand and ready to implement the tasks in order of importance with one main focus for the day being most important task to complete
- Be ready to respond quickly to any phone calls or unexpected distractions or avoid them altogether during your work blocks
- Be specific about communicating effectively with others within your work block keeping the focus on the job at hand and not venturing off on a tangent and losing precious time as well as consumer valuable energy.
- Know when to delegate tasks that are not essential for you to complete by being resourceful and also helping to save time and energy and free you up to do what is more important for you to be doing
- Keep tabs on the results you achieve as opposed to counting the minutes or time it takes. All that matters is that you actually finish what you start.
- Know what you will do when to finish what you start.
5. Ways To Finish What You Start:
- Commence by making a conscious decision to actually finish what you start. Avoid adding a task or project to your Too Hard Basket.
- Instead, commit to doing whatever it takes to complete it and focus all your time, money and energy on doing just that.
- You may have to change the way you do things by excluding things from your Things To Do List in order to free up some of your time and also remove any distractions or tasks that are not a priority. Then you can focus your time, money and energy on the most important task at hand.
- Make sure you have a clear strategy so that you know exactly what you are planning to do followed by a list of tactics too implement step by step in order to accomplish it. This can accompany your Things To Do list or be added into it.
- Plan to work smarter by minimising tasks and extra steps in order to use your time wisely. Break it down into steps that will allow you to take actionable steps towards completing the task or project.
- Include the deadlines you have set or that you are working towards in your Things To Do List. This way, you can be accountable for getting things done in the required time frame. Eg 1 — Rehearsing for a performance would require you to be ready to go a week in advance allowing you to know you song and be the confident performer you want to be well in advance. Eg 2 — Writing a Chidren’s Book and making a book submission in with Penquin Random House must be done by 24th of November. Therefore you must have your manuscript and sample illustrations completed, scanned submitted as per the guidelines on their website within that deadline for consideration. These are both time sensitive deadlines that cannot be rescheduled and so all effort and focus must be on finishing what you start on time.
- Next, is to get started right now so tackle your first action step and don’t waste another minute. Waiting is more likely to steer you towards procrastination.
- Avoid making excuses along the way by holding yourself accountable by honouring your commitment to yourself. You may need to stay up late at night or miss lunch or start your day a few hours earlier in order to push through and keep moving forwards through the step of your tactical action plan and finish what you started.
- Now you have finished what you started and will experience a great sense of relief and are ready for some housekeeping. Remember to alway save and back up and share your files and complete any filing required to be able to keep track of your projects and records. Avoid holding on to what is not needed and make sure you hold on to anything that can be leveraged out in the future saving you time, money and energy. Now the task at hand is completed.
6. The Power to Pivot and Reset Your Mindset!
Sometimes, we also have to reassess what we are doing. Not because we are quitters but because we have realised that it is not what we really want and the power to pivot and reset is everything at that point. Just like I knew that the career pathway of Accounting wasn’t right for me, even though it helped me to have a good business foundation. But focusing on Singing with fierce clarity, allowed me to find my passion and follow my calling and help 1000’s of singers along the way.
Do the things that matter first by listing them down on a sheet of paper or using your notes app on you i-phone or any other way that works for you.You need to keep yourself on track and this well help you stay focused on the result you are striving for. Prioritise them in order so you will focus on one at a time and you will get them all done in good time! This way you will build up to each goal and accomplish it. Get started and work towards finishing what your start and we’ll all see you at the finish line!
Nancy D’Agostino
Day 8 — Write 365 Blogs in One Year Challenge! Starting 28/10/2020
