At the beginning of each year, we all rack our brains, (hopefully, you are considering the lessons you learned from the prior year) and set New Year’s resolutions. As 2012 quickly approaches, I wanted to bring a topic to the forefront, one where I constantly struggle. The below excerpt is taken from the University of Phoenix
What Is Not Done?
What have you started that you didn’t finish? What is hanging out on your todo list? It could be something small, a todo or a task. Or it could be something big, like a passion or a dream. Whatever you have undone… chances are you need to finish it.
Here are 7 Things You Should Finish…
1. The Task With The Deadline - Do you finish ahead of deadlines? Not finishing tasks by their deadlines usually results in a negative result. Whether it is a mark on your time management reputation, or something more tangible like a fee, penalty, or additional work.
2. The Thing You Should Have Done Last Night - Ever have a morning where everything just went sideways? Most often it is because you did not finish preparing the night before. Your clothes aren’t clean. You didn’t prepare the kids for school. You aren’t ready for that meeting today.
3. The Promise You Made to Someone Else – When you tell someone that you are going to do something, can they count on you? Or do people avoid you because you are known to be unreliable?
4. The Item You Forgot – Oops, you forgot that task. It is hard to finish something if you forget that you were supposed to do it. Make sure that your todo list and other tools have your back. They should remind you of what you need to finish so that you don’t have to remember.
5. The Todo That Is ALMOST Done – Almost done isn’t done. Almost finishing a job doesn’t deliver results. Make sure you take your tasks across the finish line and cross them off your list.
6. The Never Ending Project – Ever had a project that just seemed to go on forever? (I have seen companies that have 6 month projects that go on for 6 years!) Set a tight deadline. And finish it.
7. The Dream You Started – Dreams are often harder to finish because they involve longer timeframes and unless you are disciplined, you often do not have a finish line. Define your long term goals. Be specific (and realistic.) Write them down and hold yourself accountable.
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