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Ever Catch Yourself Losing Momentum the Closer You Come to Finishing a Project?

by AnneE
18 replies
Have you ever caught yourself dragging your feet on a project that is 90% done?

I have and I'm trying to figure out why. I think perhaps the closer I come to finishing something the more I start to either realize and/or fear (mostly fear) that it isn't (or won't be) all that I dreamed it to be.

For instance I have a WSO that the product is basically created for, but I still have to
- complete the packaging so that others can use it easily
- get testimonials
- write a sales offer
- get the graphics
- create/locate the bonus to put with it

And I can tell I'm losing momentum... I think in the back of my mind, that little voice of doubt is thinking of some of the awesome WSO's that I've seen offered recently and feeling that my offering is not as valuable or awesome as those are.

Anyone else notice themselves thinking this way? Anyone have lots of half-done, or 90% done projects laying around? Did you ever think about what keeps you from completing them?
#catch #closer #finishing #losing #momentum #procrastination #project
  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    Based on the replies, it appears that I AM the only one with this problem. Oh dear
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan 2.0
    Banned
    For me that's just a natural part of accomplishing something. The reason doesn't matter all that much.

    The most important thing is to keep going and not let your doubts stop you. If I stopped accomplishing what's important to me every time I had a doubt I'd never get anything finished. Sometimes it's fear of failure. Sometimes it's fear of success. Sometimes it's fear of the unknown. The most important thing is that you trust yourself.

    Every great person who's accomplished anything significant had a whole boat load of fear and doubt. The difference is that they decided to trust themselves and keep going.

    "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."--Willian Shakespeare
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    • Profile picture of the author queenbuzzy
      Anne~

      I think a lot of people go through this...at my "real" job, my title is "project innovator" which suits me just fine. I'm GREAT at ideas, forumlating processes, seeing the steps from start to finish.

      Frankly, I'm HORRIBLE at execution.

      I get all of that momentum when I first start...the rush...the excitement...and then all of the work starts to pile up, and I get total "paralysis analysis." I decide that I can't launch until this happens or that's done when what I have is good enough.

      There was a show some time back called "Start-up Junkies" and I think a lot of MLMers go through it too...getting all excited, but then once you get close to finishing, the newness wears off, and instead of looking at potential, you're just looking at...well...reality:

      It may not sell...or, it may sell, but people hate it. The thought of all of your hard work for naught...the potential of being a failure is a lot less appealing than the bright-eyed starry excitement and hope of a brand new project.

      The only way out...is through.

      I'm actually really blessed now with a job that's driving me crazy. Before, I was living the happy hippie life o' freedom, and my income never really mattered because I just lived minimally. Then, I got house-lust, and had to get a "real job" (my first ever...and I'm in my 30's!) in order to get the mortgage...now, I HAVE to make my projects work, so I can quit my job and not lose the house.

      I think if your "why" becomes big enough, then you'll do what you need to do...force yourself through the drudgery of finishing...because this time, you can't NOT finish.
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneE
      Originally Posted by ZigZag View Post

      Every great person who's accomplished anything significant had a whole boat load of fear and doubt. The difference is that they decided to trust themselves and keep going.
      Thanks ZigZag and QueenBuzzy. Actually you reminded me of reading that some of the brief references to biblical leaders going off into the wilderness, is typically a matter of these leaders wrestling doubts.

      Wrestling - well I can't say I have any real experience with half-nelson's and pinning people to the mat, on the other hand, I kind of like the idea of having a visual metaphor to what is going on. I like the idea of knocking doubt around and telling him he's out of his weight class.

      QueenBuzzy, I also have realized in the last couple years that if my husband's day job was as lucrative as my own, that i never would have been pushed to earn additional income. And interestingly, now, while I still have the massive bills, I also have lines of credit (some of which have been inching up) which has momentarily taken financial pressure off me. Perhaps I should think a bit about the need to pay the oil bill (substantial in upstate NY) and get off my ... and get the WSO out the door.

      Speaking of which... 6 AM... time for ACTION!!

      God Bless All Today
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Sometimes, yeah. I usually do the writing or whatever in
    a flurry of creative energy but the editing is drawn-out and
    kind of tedious... takes a while usually.

    I blogged about this a bit ago:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/blogs/lo...e-details.html

    The real pros finish stuff. Starting is easy.

    I saw Ray Bradbury speak last year and he said that he
    would FINISH something every day. A poem, whatever...
    he said it was easy to start things but the finishing
    is what defines your craft.
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  • Profile picture of the author jakeh9
    Happens to me all the time. Maybe the distractions and then the doubts about whether it is good enough start creeping in and slowly the enthusiasm starts to disapear.
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  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    I am soooo guilty of this, my past is littered with projects that are 80% finished. I even have a project I started in 1979 that has needed "about 2 hours of work" to be completed, 30 years later I still haven't found those 2 hours!

    I'm working on a project now that is probably the biggest and most important one I've ever done. Somehow I have to get over the 80% mark and finish this, a lot of my future could very well depend upon it. If anyone has a "miracle cure" for this special brand of procrastination I'd love to hear it!

    Best of luck with your WSO (I'm working on one too and guess what - it's about 80% finished!)

    Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author jayden.fellze
    I am also doing so. Most of the time starting a project is really very easy but maintaining them or finishing them for that matter seems a lazy stuff. But it is a bit of a challenge or all of us, to start and finish the project on time, in a good manner or something that exceed the expectations of our clients.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shariyf Clark
    Hey guys,
    I'm guilty of this too. And today I'm beating myself up over it pretty badly. QueenBuzzy, I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the thought of doing a bunch of hard work for nothing. I noticed that I get this looming voice in the back of my head saying "You're prolly not gonna make any sales if you do this" and then I notice that my motivation plummets and I physically can not proceed. It feels like my body pumps some imaginary brakes and I come to a halt. I want to get out of this pattern but I don't know how. It's causing me a lot of stress. Especially now since I pretty much need to be making extra money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    It's probably perfectionism we all suffer from. I build guitars
    and things when I have the time - I learned a lot from that
    because ultimately you just have to work to your best ability
    at the time and finish the instrument, test the results.

    You get better from finishing stuff. You start to see the arc
    of creation differently. We hold completion at arms length
    because we doubt our abilities, the correctness of our thinking,
    but f you make stuff you just have to turn it loose into
    the world, like Gepeto with his Pinochio (funny, I know) set
    your creations free so they can live their lives and you can live
    yours.

    Strange, huh? I know artists who are attached to WAY to many
    things they create and they drown in their lives. The artists
    that let things go and sell work seem happier.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sticky Articles
    Originally Posted by AnneE View Post

    Have you ever caught yourself dragging your feet on a project that is 90% done?

    I have and I'm trying to figure out why. I think perhaps the closer I come to finishing something the more I start to either realize and/or fear (mostly fear) that it isn't (or won't be) all that I dreamed it to be.

    For instance I have a WSO that the product is basically created for, but I still have to
    - complete the packaging so that others can use it easily
    - get testimonials
    - write a sales offer
    - get the graphics
    - create/locate the bonus to put with it

    And I can tell I'm losing momentum... I think in the back of my mind, that little voice of doubt is thinking of some of the awesome WSO's that I've seen offered recently and feeling that my offering is not as valuable or awesome as those are.

    Anyone else notice themselves thinking this way? Anyone have lots of half-done, or 90% done projects laying around? Did you ever think about what keeps you from completing them?

    You're not the only one, don't worry.

    I recently spent 7 days on a PPC campaign to try to get it perfect
    and on budget only to find the offer expired (CPA) a few days later.
    Needless to say, it really pissed me off.

    You just have to just keep pushing on and get your stuff out there.
    Chances are your material be needed by many but you're so stuck
    on if it's good enough that it's not being bought.
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    • Profile picture of the author emjayce
      I can totally relate. I am very guilty as well. I think the key is to focus on just 1 project at a time. Focus on that project until it's complete and in front of people. Even if you have to force yourself to follow through. If you come across another idea for a new project, make a note of it and save it for later. Don't move on to the next opportunity or project until you've completed what you have already started.

      This is how I've been approaching things and it's made a real difference.

      Good Luck with your WSO,



      Matt
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      Toronto Google AdWords Consultants - SiteBoost.ca
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  • Profile picture of the author ss61288
    It just goes back to the pleasure and pain motivators, when you are far behind the completion the pain really motivates you to get out there and take action but as you progress to its completion slowly the pain declines as subconsciously you feel that much closer to particular attainment!
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    Thanks for the feedback everyone.

    I know one thing that helps is to put dates on the tasks to complete. To all who said they are guilty of stalling out when a project nears completion, I urge you to pick a project and commit to a completion schedule.

    And it helps me to have some kind of accountability, someone who is expecting you to complete those tasks on those dates, even if it's just a friend who agrees that they will nudge me if I nudge them about getting stuff done.

    So, today I commit to overcoming any doubts. I will stay focused. I'm defining a schedule (that is halfway realistic given my other obligations) and I'm committing here to making this happen.

    2/27, 3/1-4 -- Write 20 Headlines a Day, to reach the Ad Secrets 100 Headlines goal -- (some may view this as again getting tied up in perfection, but I want to try this approach)
    3/4 -- Figure out packaging, including the bonus(es)
    3/5 --3/6 -- Write the Sales Letter, Hire Someone for Graphics
    3/6 - 3/7 -- offer free copies for evaluation, possible testimonials.
    3/6 - 3/9 -- get feedback from copywriting section on sales letter
    3/11 -- incorporate testimonials and suggestions into sales letter
    LAUNCH WSO on or before FRIDAY the 13th.....

    Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone.

    Anne

    p.s. Final reminder to myself, I'm writing these dates on my calendar that sits by my computer.
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    Just to close the loop... Gosh, I missed these deadlines badly. But I did finally make it. I launched WSO yesterday (see signature for link).

    Sometimes I beat myself up for being so slow to complete tasks, but I am at least completing them, right?

    Thanks for the encouraging words and support above that helped me along the way.

    Anne
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior Globetrotter
    Great post Anne...I think it has nothing to do with your work ethic and everything to do with fear holding you back at the end because at least for me...the easy part is making the product...the hard part is releasing the product and opening yourself up to be critized.
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneE
      Yes, Warrior Globetrotter... there is the potential for either criticism or maybe even worse.... silence or poor sales ... There were moments yesterday when sales stopped for hours and I thought, so that's it? that's all I'm going to sell? I spent months (on and off of course) putting this together and it's a big who cares?

      But I'm determined... I'm going to continue tweaking this offer and I'm going to continue to put together other products. As a kid who used to pride herself on how few I got wrong on my tests in school, it's been a big adjustment for me to realize that as a marketer, it isn't really about how many you get wrong at all.... it's only about how many you get right!

      But I think you might be right about there being an emotional element that causes me to slow down as I reach completion, because completion of a product is also the point where you go public with it and that can be kind of scary, disappointing, or even embarassing.
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  • Profile picture of the author scorpio9
    I'm also find myself with a lot of projects that are 90% completed or I get 90% done and spend forever on the next 10%.

    I can spot an opportunity, but seldom capitalize on it before the herd move in and I get trampled in the rush, how does one break out of this cycle.

    scorpio9
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