One of the most sought-after qualities in business is the ability to finish… and that 1 percent person who makes sure something really happens is a rare commodity.
Whilst the ability to “finish” is rare, it is a key to success. It prevents wasted work, wasted energy, wasted effort, wasted time and wasted money. It helps to overcome the problem of having thousands of half-finished projects, or initiatives that reach 80 or 90 percent completion but never see the light of day.
So take yourself to finishing school…
And here’s the good news… Finishing is a Habit. And like all habits, Finishing can be learned. We know that it takes around 28 days to create a new habit. So why not “go to finishing school” for 28 days, and learn how to be a finisher.
It doesn’t just have to be about business either. It could be around the home, in relation to personal life, anything really.
Here’s how it works…
You draw up a list of all the things you want to get finished over the next month. This includes all the half-started projects, and little things which are hanging over. That could be business things from finishing a marketing flyer to finishing a report you have been putting off. It could be the preparations for a meeting or event that have dragged on too long, or that phone call which is overdue, or that meeting which really needs to be arranged. Or it could simply be that form that needs to be filled in. Or they could be personal things (finishing the garden, finishing clearing out the cupboards, finishing putting all the photos in albums, finishing putting pictures up in the spare room, or the back bedroom that needs a lick of paint and so on).
Once you have your list, take yourself to “Finishing School”, and decide to finish something every day: just focus on finishing one of the things on your list each day. Plan what you are going to finish tomorrow and then time slot into your schedule a time to finish it. Decide to invest an hour or two finishing it. At work set aside that Golden Hour as finishing time, or at home, sacrifice the lazy TV time, and just decide that between 8 and 9 pm for example you are going to finish something.
Finishing is an invaluable skill. And once you get into that habit, you’ll be amazed what you achieve in that month… and how you feel about being so productive and effective.
If you are more of a “Starter” then invest in a good finisher to help you. As all football teams know, it’s all very well having 90 percent of the possession, but winning the game is often about having in your team, that most valuable commodity, a great finisher…