andrewlb notes

The Art of Finishing

Published:

The Art of Finishing

Metadata

  • Author: Tomas Stropus
  • Full Title: The Art of Finishing
  • Category: #articles
  • Summary: The author discusses the challenge of finishing projects, highlighting the temptation to start new ones instead. They outline strategies to overcome procrastination, such as defining what "done" means and setting deadlines. Ultimately, the goal is to build the habit of completing projects to experience the satisfaction and growth that comes from finishing.
  • URL: https://www.bytedrum.com/posts/art-of-finishing/

Highlights

  • This cycle of enthusiasm, struggle, and disappointment has become all too familiar. It’s the Hydra Project Effect: no matter how much progress I make, new challenges always seem to sprout in their place. (View Highlight)
  • The moment you declare a project “done,” you open it up to criticism, both external and internal. (View Highlight)

New highlights added September 14, 2024 at 1:32 AM

  • The illusion of productivity plays a significant role too. As long as you’re working on something, you feel productive. (View Highlight)
  • There’s a unique satisfaction in seeing a project through to completion that no amount of starting can match (View Highlight)
  • unfinished projects carry a mental weight (View Highlight)
  • Every unfinished project takes up mental space. It’s like having dozens of browser tabs open—each one uses a little bit of your mental RAM, leaving you with less capacity for new ideas and focused work. (View Highlight)
  • . There’s a joy in shipping that can’t be replicated by starting something new. (View Highlight)
  • I’ll write them down and resist the urge to expand this list as I go (View Highlight)
  • I’ll give myself a deadline. It doesn’t have to be short, but it should be finite. (View Highlight)
  • I’ll keep a separate idea log. When new features or project ideas pop up during implementation, I’ll jot them down for future consideration instead of immediately acting on them. (View Highlight)
  • I’ll find ways to make myself accountable for finishing projects. (View Highlight)
  • work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” (View Highlight)