“I’m done.”
These should be the most satisfying words you say upon the completion of the project. Whether that project is something that you dreaded working on and trudged through over many months or whether it was something that you review the focused on and enjoy doing over an extended period time, being done is the goal. The thing is is that getting to that stage — getting to the stage where you can say “I’m done” is more challenging now than ever before.
Now that doesn’t mean you don’t get things done. I imagine you get quite a bit done. The thing is is that getting to that stage is not nearly as straight of a line as it used to be. There are more distractions than ever before. There are more disruptions than ever before. And we are more susceptible to diversions than ever before.
I’ve written before about the artillery that you can use to push things forward when all of the odds are stacked against you. When you get stuck on a project, work by context. If contexts don’t work, then work by theme. If themes don’t work, then use the Three Words exercise popularized by Chris Brogan. There are all sorts of ways that you can get to the point where you can say “I’m done” but you need to be willing to do what it takes to get there.
It’s also important to note that “done” doesn’t necessarily mean done well.
We often make compromises when getting to the finish line of a project. The problem is if this was a real race, you can’t make those kind of compromises. You either ran the race really well which allowed you to win, or you won’t win the race. The best runners may be fast, but they also paste themselves in terms of training and technique. Speed is secondary. Strategy comes first.
If you aren’t able to say “I’m done” often enough, then there’s a problem. When you do get to say those words and you don’t mean them, that’s also a problem. The goal is to be able to say them often enough – and when you say them, there’s no doubt in your mind that you mean it.
You mean it because those words have meaning. When you are truly done, you are truly given it your all. You have worked to the very end of the line.
And that allows you start a whole new line with the confidence that you can end it when it truly needs to end…on your terms.
There’s a good reason why I shared this piece (originally sent in the weekly newsletter) today. That’s because today marks the start of transition here at Productivityist.
As of the middle of last month Productivityist became more than just a blog – it became a company.
Productivityist has become much bigger than me, which means that others are coming on board to pitch in and make things even better around these parts. I’ll continue to be a huge part of Productivityist, driving it every single day, but there will be more trusted people involved. I’ll be introducing them throughout the month of December, along with other projects that will be developed under the Productivityist banner.
I’m really excited where things are going with Productivityist. I can’t wait to share them with all of you over the weeks, months, and years ahead.
