5 reasons I don’t finish what I start

I like to see things through, but sometimes finishing what you start is not a good thing. Here are 5 reasons I don’t finish what I start.

  1. I realize it’s not a real fire, or that it’s not my fire. What is most important to a client, team member, child, friend, etc. at one exact moment in time is usually not what should be most important for me. It’s likely important but unlikely that it’s important enough to drop everything.
  2. I need to cool off first. Sometimes I will get an email that fires me up, and my instinct is to respond right away and tell them how I’m feeling. Bad idea. I will often start those emails to help me cool off, but I don’t finish them (at least not until much later).
  3. A real fire occurs that shifts my focus. As noted above, recognizing when something is a real fire is vital. It works both ways; we have to recognize when the fire isn’t real and when it is.
  4. My time is up. As an entrepreneur that works from home boundaries are important, otherwise I might work 24/7. If I have just started something and my wife lets me know dinner is ready I have to stop short on work, recognizing that family dinner is too important to miss.
  5. I realize I can have someone else finish for me. This one is huge and something I’m not good at, delegating. Because of the many things I do, if there is something that I’m doing that someone else in my company can do easily, I should not be doing it at all.

What about you? Why do you now finish what you start?

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