Before 2009 - Finish What You've Started

[WritingMadwoman]

Hey Warriors,

Here is a good way to tie up the last couple weeks of
the year with a sense of accomplishment and closure:
FINISH the projects you started during the year.

- Do you have websites or blogs that aren't monetized?
(Or could be monetized a lot more than they are?)

- Do you have partially-written affiliate promotions that
you never sent?

- Got a 3/4 finished report gathering dust?

We all do it. Get a GREAT idea, start creating our
masterpiece, work diligently on it for a few weeks (or
days) and then something new will catch our eye and
suddenly we're off again to start something new.

Why is this a problem? Because we expend a lot of
time, money and energy for very little RETURN.

And the RETURN is what we're really doing this for,
right?

If you want to receive the maximum results (income)
from your business, you must first create the
conditions that will make that happen -- instead of
jumping from project to project and never finishing
anything.

Recently I was writing out some plans for the new
year, projects I'd like to work on, etc. and it dawned
on me that I still have a few projects that are 2/3
of the way finished, or have been slightly neglected
while I flitted back and forth with other ideas.

I'm a big believer in "cyclical patterns" in our lives.
If you always follow the same thought and action patterns,
you will continue to get the same results you've always
gotten until you MAKE A CHANGE.

I had to ask myself, "Do I really want to start 2009
as a person who doesn't finish what she starts?"

Needless to say, I don't want those loose ends hanging
over my head and tickling my brain - distracting me from
the new goals I want to tackle in 2009.

If you feel the same about your business, here's what
I recommend doing:

1) Review

Take a few minutes to think about your past projects,
blogs, sites, products. Did you do everything you
planned to do when you first conceived the ideas? Are
those projects FULLY MONETIZED to bring you the
highest financial return they can?

Obviously, some projects will never be completely
finished, they are ongoing. That's okay - but think
about whether they are as efficient and complete as
they could be in their present form RIGHT NOW. Then
you can keep working on expanding them later.

2) Analyze

With each project, ask yourself if the idea was
REALLY as lucrative as you first believed. Let's face
it, sometimes we don't think things through as much as
we should and end up with a lemon or two. :-) Stand
back and look at each of your projects objectively and
consider whether they have the potential to be further
developed or if you should trash them so they don't
drain any more of your time and energy.

This stage can be tricky because you HAVE to set
aside wishful thinking and be brutally honest with
yourself. If a project no longer fits with your
long-term plans, it might be best to sell it, give it
away or hold a burial service for it.

3) Create a Plan

Now look at what's left. The projects you do think
have more potential, ask yourself what you can do to
round them out so they are paying better? Do you need
to drive more traffic? Do you need to better optimize
the pages? Write some affiliate reviews to mix in
with the content articles? Tweak the sales copy?

Think about where the project sits right now, where
you want it to end up - and then write out a detailed,
step by step action plan to make it happen.

4) Make Completion Your TOP PRIORITY

Again, some projects will never be truly "finished" -
but you can definitely reach a stage where you feel
satisfied with the progress you've made and will
continue to make in the coming weeks. Work on it
every single day - even if you can only do one or two
tasks at a time.

DON'T allow yourself to procrastinate on it! If you
have to, hang a note on your computer that says, "2009
Is My Year of Success and It Starts NOW" -- or
whatever you think will inspire you to do things
differently than you have in the past.

5) Don't Worry About Results Yet

Whatever you do, don't work on it for just a few days
and conclude it "didn't work". As we all know,
sometimes results can be delayed by weeks or even
months. Rather than taking a few steps and then
immediately checking to see if your income has gone
up, focus ONLY on taking the action steps you outlined
in your plan.

I see so many people give up because they don't get
immediate results. They write 3 articles, check their
Clickbank account and say, "Damn, article marketing
doesn't work!" You have to allow a buffer of time
with almost every action - and most of those actions
must be done consistently over time to get any
measurable results.

Your ONLY concern right now is that you TAKE THE
ACTIONS that you have outlined. In other words, the
action steps themselves are the GOAL here. A sense of
accomplishment is your payment. If you are taking the
actions every day, you are SUCCESSFUL in tying up the
loose ends like you intended. :-)

6) Plan for 2009

If you want to motivate yourself even more, come up
with some solid ideas for things you'd like to
accomplish in 2009 - but remind yourself that you are
ONLY allowed to work on them once you have tied up the
loose ends from 2008. Ouch! There's a little tough
love to keep you on the straight and narrow.

7) Keep Moving Forward

Depending on how many unfinished projects you have, you
may not be able to finish everything in the next 2 weeks.
Don't let this bother you - just keep moving forward. As
long as you're making progress it's a good thing.

I promise, if you do this Warriors, you will leave 2008 and
step into 2009 with a renewed sense of focus and
determination to take your business to a new level.

Imagine what would happen if you did this year after
year? What could you accomplish?

Probably a LOT more than you can even dream of right
now.

Best of Success to everyone in 2009! :-)

Wendy

[DougBarger]

Very inspirational and motivating post Wendy.

I applaud you for taking the pro-active "finisher's" stand on this one

and will enjoy hearing the certain success story your resolve will result.

[Frank Ayres]

not always possible when you have long term projects to tie everything up in the next 2 weeks

[WritingMadwoman]

Thanks guys! SpudDs, like I said even if you can't finish everything in that time period, you can still be making progress on it. Even a few minutes a day of progress can still make you feel like you're focused and productive!

Wendy

[Peggy Baron]

Hey, thanks for that Wendy.
You inspired my latest blog post too.

Peggy

[precious007]

Thanks Wendy, really appreciated.

[steven90210]

Great post Wendy.

I especially like number 7.

Even if the going is slow, the fact that progress is being made is very motivational to do a better job at it. And if things do not go well (trust me it happens) we would be able to continue our work with the same diligence and enthusiasm that we started out and built up over time with. That's what I feel is one of the most important points of sustaining a project or a business and bringing it to greater heights.

If the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Keep moving forward!

Cheers,
Steve.

[keywordguru]

Great Post!
I am going through the exact same process right now as 2008 is coming to a quick close. Great things in the pipe line for 2009

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by Peggy Baron

Hey, thanks for that Wendy.
You inspired my latest blog post too.

Peggy

Peggy, thanks! Which blog? I hopped over to your Warrior blog, but nope! I'd love to read it and check out the blog in general - feel free to PM if you don't mind sharing it.

Wendy

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by steven90210

Great post Wendy.

I especially like number 7.

Even if the going is slow, the fact that progress is being made is very motivational to do a better job at it. And if things do not go well (trust me it happens) we would be able to continue our work with the same diligence and enthusiasm that we started out and built up over time with. That's what I feel is one of the most important points of sustaining a project or a business and bringing it to greater heights.

If the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Keep moving forward!

Cheers,
Steve.

Thanks Steve, I agree! You have to make the action steps themselves the goal or you'll sit still and not only have no money to show for it, but a strong feeling that you're not getting anywhere which is only disappointing and disempowering. Not fun!

Wendy

[Ben_Curtis]

Cool post; took some thinking and time to write. Thanks for doing so. I've been going through that very process. Peggy wrote a post---sounds like a good way to spread the idea to others.
regards~

[BSM]

Wendy,

Great suggestions! In fact, they are important reminders for any time of year...for so many of us, it's often hard to finish projects before jumping on to something that catches our creative attention, yet so satisfying to complete something & feel accomplished. What a paradox & frequent frustration.

But, using a year-end as a catalyst to get things done is a great motivator - maybe it will start a pattern that continues year round. You've certainly inspired me to give it another try!!

Thanks, Barbara

[RobinSkeen]

Thanks for the virtual kick in the pants Wendy. I've made a lot of progress the past few months and feel like I'm finally NOT leaving things all over the place. Off to make my new year's plans. Nice to hear from you as always.

[Charann Miller]

I'm a firm believer of finishing what I start. I won't take on any more projects until I clear out my exisiting work load otherwise it just piles up and gets out of control. Thanks for your post.

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by RobinSkeen

Thanks for the virtual kick in the pants Wendy. I've made a lot of progress the past few months and feel like I'm finally NOT leaving things all over the place. Off to make my new year's plans. Nice to hear from you as always.

Hiya Robin! Believe it or not I was JUST thinking about you the other day and wondering why I hadn't seen you around much lately.

Glad to hear you've been making progress, and I am so pleased to be able to kick you...LOL!

Happy Holidays!!

Wendy

[WritingMadwoman]

Originally Posted by Rannie1

I'm a firm believer of finishing what I start. I won't take on any more projects until I clear out my exisiting work load otherwise it just piles up and gets out of control. Thanks for your post.

Thanks Rannie! I love your determination - I still struggle with that but I am getting better. You are so right "it just piles up and gets out of control"! That's why I'm having to tie up all these loose ends now - if I had just done it when I originally intended to, I wouldn't be scrambling to do it now.

Of course, even the scrambling feels good when you know you're making progress - better late than never!

Wendy

[Caroline Middlebrook]

I second this but I would add one thing too - CUT those projects that just aren't working for you. I'm working on something new in 2009 and I decided to do just what you suggested but there were some things that I was doing (mainly niche sites) that just weren't working so I simply decided to call it quits.

Sometimes it's better to know when to drop a project than to blindly charge ahead with it.

Caroline