When you need to finish something, get it done first. Do not delay. Do not do other easier things first. Take a deep breath, open the tougher, longer, most important item and get that done. You’ll feel better after (maybe not initially) and you can then speed through the other items.
Category: Progress
Work Swiftly
When you have work to do, work swiftly. Stay focused on the task at hand and get things done quickly. It’s efficient and you’ll feel better about getting it down without dilly-dallying.
How Does It End?
I assume most people want to know how things end. Some people read the last chapter first just to get it over with. Some people plan well, including the end.
The end of a holiday is often a bit anti climatic for me as you often have to find your things and pack your bag, get to the airport and/or drive home. Life can be a bit like that too. The first and last 10% is often not hugely memorable. The 80% in the middle, though… there’s the beef!
So live it up and enjoy but also pack the day before so you’re not stuck doing that in those precious final moments that you’re savouring and wish never had to end.
Detailed Goal Planning
This is not easy. It is simple but not easy. You need to refine your goals and get very clear about what you are aiming for. Then you need a clear timeline and plan to achieve them. The more precision you add now, the higher the probability of hitting your targets!
My book, Achieve Anything, could not be better value on Amazon in the UK. Go take a look. For a couple of £s you can learn more about goal planning and taking your life up a notch or two in 2024!
Decisions Decide Destiny
Making decisions is what propels you forward. In a way, decisions are like swimming strokes. With each stretch and push you thrust forward until the next one. If you stop making decisions, like stop making strokes, you will coast, slow and then stop progressing forward.
So make more decisions. Make the decisions as quickly as you can. Though be intentional in your decisions just like you would be with an Olympic stroke. You wouldn’t go out just flailing in the pool. So gather your information and make focused, strong and meaningful decisions.
Seek Peaceful Existence
When this is the number one priority for all people around the world, we will have the greatest era of peace and prosperity, safety and security.
When even a few disgruntled people want something more than peace and place it as their highest value, we will have trouble and possibly war.
It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole darn bunch.
Push Through To The End
Well done to get started! Congratulations on your persistence so far. Keep pushing hard to the end. See it through. Don’t waver, relax, coast or give up. The critical part, the finishing, is just around the corner and you’re doing so well! Push through!
Complete One Extra Thing
Zipping through your day, you may find you just want to go home and wind down. Stay disciplined and complete just one more thing. It can be something small that you’ve been trying to finish for weeks. You could also tackle that beast of a project you keep delaying on.
Either way, get one extra thing done each day and you’ll start feeling on top of the world.
Could You Do Better?
You probably could do a few things better than you’re doing them now. Do you want to put the extra effort in though? This is the challenge.
Most of us have the ability and runway and even desire to do more or be better. However, we also can feel lazy, uninspired or wonder what the point is and whether it is worth it at all.
Well it is worth it. Focus on building your discipline every day. It will carry you through the tough times, the doubtful moments and the significant challenges like loss of motivation, purpose or faith.
You can do better. Build up to it. You’ll be so glad you did. And may regret it if you don’t.
Pursuing Perfection At What Cost?
If something is moving along reasonably well, tinkering around with it can make things worse as much as they can make things better.
Progress pushed too far can turn into regress. This can be seen particularly well in social settings. If you try to manufacture the world how you would like to have it run, there may be negative consequences beyond a certain point.
This may be some of the reason why we see political parties in power for four to eight years before they are voted out for the opposing group for a similar amount of time.
You can move a patient and accommodating person quite some way along towards your desired endgame. However, just as you gain confidence that you’ll be able to shift them to the end, they may reach a resistance point. And all the progress you thought you made, might start to unwind.
You may find yourself back where you started. Or, perhaps the momentum will take you back past the starting point to places you wished you’d never disturbed.
So sometimes you may be better off with some good progress and leaving it there. In pursuing perfection, you may pay a much higher cost than you could have imagined.
