My family motto is “Until the end”.
Apparently, we’re big on finishing. I personally love starting new things. Projects, side hustles, books – I love what’s new. It’s why my Goodreads is typically full of 6 different genres under my “Currently Reading” section. I figured since starting isn’t much of a problem for me, I might be better to invest some time into learning how to finish more of
Finish by Jon Acuff tackles the subject of finishing in a straightforward, prescriptive approach. He highlights seven major points of advice in the book that I found useful.
1. Planning fallacy
Optimism leads to the assumption that we can do more than we can, especially in short periods of time. Acuff believes we should try cutting our goals in half and “move forward imperfectly.” I gave this a try for a couple of weeks in February and hit all my goals, so there’s something to it.
2. Strategic incompetence
Figure out three things you’re going to suck at and accept no shame about them. For me, I decided to be bad at Instagram and Twitter, staying late at events and parties, and working on projects that didn’t improve my skills. Not worrying about things that are less important to you frees up time to focus on what’s important. It’s not so different from some of the principles in Gary Keller’s The ONE Thing.
3. Make it fun
Joyless goals typically fail. Look at all your goals and ask yourself: how could this be more fun? While you’re examining your goals, you should also look at ways to simplify them. This comes back to embracing imperfection. If your goal is to meditate for 20 minutes
4. Look for your hiding places
Where do you go accidentally when you’re not thinking? These are your hiding places from your goals. If you move to the couch and throw the TV on like me, you need to eliminate your time in that spot, or tell others that if they see you in that spot to say something. Some people hide from their current goals by making new ones, which is another hiding place. Don’t set new goals until you finish the one’s you’ve set now, and eliminate any side goals you’ve taken on.
5. Get rid of your secret rules
Write down the secret rules you tell yourself. Ask why, and say no. Goals don’t have to be perfect, boring, or hard. Perfectionism tricks us into making things hard. Don’t fall for the trap. Everyone has secret rules, like “it’s not a workout if I don’t go to the gym” or “listening to an audiobook isn’t reading”. You should be trying to make reaching your goals easier, not harder.
While you’re identifying your secret rules, it’s also important to note how you use the word “until”. Many people use this word as
6. Use data
Data can help guide your journey. If you’re trying to lose weight, look for many points of data, not just the scale. Watch your waist size, your workouts per week, and your calories. Data prevents denial.
If you’re golfing in the dark for 10,000 hours, you won’t improve. You need to be able to study the data.
7. Keep going
The day before done is where many give up. They get scared to launch or achieve success. Boats are made for water, don’t be afraid of launching. Use your finish line as a starting point for a new thing.
Overall this was a highly actionable book. Acuff lays out some steps you can take immediately to make sure you finish what’s important to you. I’d recommend it.