Finish What You Have Started
We are just about two weeks away from new year. Before making a whole bunch of lists for new year resolutions, it may be helpful to first tackle the pending things. These can be :
Obviously, elephant sized things, what couldn't be done in an year or more can't be done in two weeks. But we can definitely close the gaps a little and we can easily tick off all the long pending things now, so that in 2020, your brain doesn't ponder over them all the time and get mental.
The thing about ToDo lists is they are never ending, they are infinite. As you keep clearing off your list, new things are added at an amazing speed. Your ToDo list can never be completely marked as done. But they can be brought down by simply cutting off the unnecessary things forever. Most of our time is spent in cleaning, repairing and maintaining things. It may feel amazing to wear a new top everyday, but by second wear, the charm is gone and the new thing which we just owned ends up owning us with it's high maintenance. A simple way to reduce our ToDo lists is to reduce the things in our lives. This doesn't mean throwing away your favorite things, rather it's about freeing yourself from the things you don't really need - the things that don't add any value to your day to day life.
So far, we have three categories to focus on for year end - finishing things(long pending) which don't take so much time, closing the gaps a little for huge tasks(losing 2 kgs in December) and reducing our ToDo lists by decluttering.
But how will we stop ourselves from falling into the same trap in 2020?
It took me 30 years to drive the point to my brain - that I won't stick to something unless it's quite easy for me to do. I have heard it so many times all through my life, but I have always set too big goals for limited timelines making my brain to quit on second day or to never even attempt it.
Another major rule I have finally drilled into my brain is - Walk slow, but never backwards. I have tried my best to stick to this. If you are just regressing for every forward step you take, it's just not worth to take those forward steps.
And the most crucial rule I have tried to follow is - less rules for myself. Keep it simple. Don't complicate things and life. I have observed that when I allow myself to indulge a little and set only very few hard and fast rules, I actually abide by them.
May be this is just me, but following may help:
Was it over zealous timelines/deadlines?
Was it having too many things on plate and while you juggled them all, you couldn't track everything and kept dropping few?
Was it the fizzled out enthusiasm once you were mid way to your goal?
Was it because of no commitment?
If you have put so much efforts in making the initial design of your app and then lost interest, it doesn't count. No one cares what you have started, only the finished product/result matters.
"At 99%, you will still be a wannabe. It takes 100% to be a professional."
Before you embark on new projects for 2020, finish what you have started. Close the loops. Tie the loose ends.
~
- 2019 resolutions which you may have given up on. e.g: Lose weight, vacation etc
- Things that have been on the ToDo list from the dinosaur era. e.g: Get that jeans bought in Y2K altered.
- Major bottlenecks of your life, which you have been ignoring or dreading or both. e.g: Switch job.
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| Finish What You Have Started |
Obviously, elephant sized things, what couldn't be done in an year or more can't be done in two weeks. But we can definitely close the gaps a little and we can easily tick off all the long pending things now, so that in 2020, your brain doesn't ponder over them all the time and get mental.
The thing about ToDo lists is they are never ending, they are infinite. As you keep clearing off your list, new things are added at an amazing speed. Your ToDo list can never be completely marked as done. But they can be brought down by simply cutting off the unnecessary things forever. Most of our time is spent in cleaning, repairing and maintaining things. It may feel amazing to wear a new top everyday, but by second wear, the charm is gone and the new thing which we just owned ends up owning us with it's high maintenance. A simple way to reduce our ToDo lists is to reduce the things in our lives. This doesn't mean throwing away your favorite things, rather it's about freeing yourself from the things you don't really need - the things that don't add any value to your day to day life.
So far, we have three categories to focus on for year end - finishing things(long pending) which don't take so much time, closing the gaps a little for huge tasks(losing 2 kgs in December) and reducing our ToDo lists by decluttering.
But how will we stop ourselves from falling into the same trap in 2020?
It took me 30 years to drive the point to my brain - that I won't stick to something unless it's quite easy for me to do. I have heard it so many times all through my life, but I have always set too big goals for limited timelines making my brain to quit on second day or to never even attempt it.
Another major rule I have finally drilled into my brain is - Walk slow, but never backwards. I have tried my best to stick to this. If you are just regressing for every forward step you take, it's just not worth to take those forward steps.
And the most crucial rule I have tried to follow is - less rules for myself. Keep it simple. Don't complicate things and life. I have observed that when I allow myself to indulge a little and set only very few hard and fast rules, I actually abide by them.
May be this is just me, but following may help:
- Keep it simple.
- Walk slow.
- But never backwards.
Was it over zealous timelines/deadlines?
Was it having too many things on plate and while you juggled them all, you couldn't track everything and kept dropping few?
Was it the fizzled out enthusiasm once you were mid way to your goal?
Was it because of no commitment?
If you have put so much efforts in making the initial design of your app and then lost interest, it doesn't count. No one cares what you have started, only the finished product/result matters.
"At 99%, you will still be a wannabe. It takes 100% to be a professional."
Before you embark on new projects for 2020, finish what you have started. Close the loops. Tie the loose ends.
~
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