Comments on: Can You Finish Your Projects?

By: Allison

Allison — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:19:45 +0000

I googled this problem today and your blog showed up. I have recently come to this realization that I do this. I was looking at my night stand and I have a total of 6 books, all started, none finished. Some books have been sitting there since last year. Sad. I agree with a lot of what you said in this post. I wonder how you combat it. For me for right now, I have like stay on myself and discipline myself, almost like a child, and be like your not allowed to do anything else till you finish this. So sad.

By: Khyrid

Khyrid — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:42:41 +0000

I have a graveyard of prototype projects on my hard drive for video games I was developing. I’m a jack of all trades, so I try to do it all myself, but when it comes time to abort and start over fresh, I have only me to make the decision. I have tried collaboration, but I’m always trying to be a mastermind, and I can’t work well with others ideas. I’m beginning to think maybe I should force myself to suffer through a project no matter what I think of it, until it’s done, like an exercise regime.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:30:52 +0000

I think my biggest problem with not finishing projects is distraction. I get distracted by things, people, books, movies, videos, twitter, other blogs, etc. I really have to work on that. I am a great planner but I don’t always follow through with the plan!
.-= Danielle´s last blog ..The Other Best Thing About NAMS3: Brainstorming Group =-.

By: Omar

Omar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:40:20 +0000

Procrastination or I think of another idea. I’ll start then stop. I get so many ideas. But I don’t want to take on too many things and then nothing gets done. James, maybe you should try asking someone to help you with your projects to feel excitement again. Just a thought.
.-= Omar´s last blog ..Les Brown Speaks =-.

By: Man and a Van London

Man and a Van London — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:34:34 +0000

I also suffer lack of confidence on my works. It always come in mind what other people say. But I remembered once my teacher have told us that popular people are popular because they choose to be different.

By: J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:53:55 +0000

Surprisingly, it’s not always a compelling “what” that sees us through … it’s a compelling “why.” Connecting what we’re doing with our values and spending time in our strengths is a recipe for results.

Before I throw my life force at something, I make sure the “why” is on fire.
.-= J.D. Meier´s last blog ..10 Ways to Go from Good to Great =-.

By: Karilee

Karilee — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:23:05 +0000

Three obstacles?

1) Perfectionism
2) Self-sabotage
3) Time/mixed priorities

Marc’s right, for me the answer is collaboration. If I can find the right partner/team for a project, it gets further, faster, and is easier for me to stay on track with.

I have no shortage of ideas, or even of confidence. Implementation depends on staying motivated, though, and I don’t treat myself like a good enough reason, consistently. Sigh.
.-= Karilee´s last blog ..Who Are Your Favorite Bloggers? =-.

By: kingworks

kingworks — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:50:36 +0000

I always get excited and jump into a new project with both feet, only to either get distracted with another new project or run out of steam about halfw-

By: Tyrean

Tyrean — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:03:50 +0000

Thanks James! Feeling muddled over my many projects today, I needed this post to help me see where I’ve gone off course so many times. I have many unfinished projects due to the reasons you’ve stated, and also because 1) I have too many good ideas all at once and don’t know which one to prioritize 2) I get distracted by my family, dogs, cat, the rest of my life, fires in my kitchen, etc 3)I feel that my brain is on information overload.
Notice, all three of my reaons are interconnected so closely that really they are one reason: I haven’t prioritized my writing projects.

By: James

James — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:15:48 +0000

Great comments, everyone. It’s clear that I’m not the only one sitting around with incomplete projects, and I think it’s a good thing that we all know we’re not alone.

Just this weekend, I was talking with Taylor about projects we don’t finish and we agreed there’s another kind: The kind you know that you *can* complete. So you stop bothering to finish. We’ve both got a few of those in our closets!

No one ever said people were logical creatures, eh?