Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done - Deepstash
How to Feel Better About Yourself

Learn more about books with this collection

How to practice self-compassion

How to identify and challenge negative self-talk

How to build self-confidence

How to Feel Better About Yourself

Discover 66 similar ideas in

It takes just

8 mins to read

Finish! Key Takeaways And Highlights

Finish! Key Takeaways And Highlights

  • People respond to two types of motivation: reward and fear.
  • Perfectionism keeps people from finishing their goals.
  • Most people quit as soon as life interferes or things get too tough.
  • Starting toward your goal on Day 1 isn’t the most important step. It’s getting past Day 2, “the day after perfect.”
  • To improve your chances of finishing, cut your goal in half or double your timeline for completion.
  • Choose where to fail. Failing at lesser things frees you to succeed at what’s important.
  • “Make it fun if you want it done.”
  • Don’t let “noble obstacles” hinder your goals.

143

1.6K reads

Perfectionism Kills

Perfectionism Kills

Getting started is hard, but it’s easier than finishing. You may have a bunch of half-finished projects and other half-done stuff. Many people make New Year’s resolutions, but research says that 92% of these intentions falter and fail. 

More than likely, you’ve spent most of your life choosing to do more than is possible and beating yourself up for not being able to keep up.

The less that people aimed for perfect, the more productive they became. Perfectionism kills momentum and keeps people from completing their goals.

121

1.3K reads

The Day After Perfect

The Day After Perfect

Perfectionism will do its best to knock you down when you work on a goal.

Excuses are camouflage for perfectionism. You weren’t perfect, so you threw in the towel. You’re not alone.

Everyone wants to get straight As. Nobody aims for Bs and Cs. But getting straight As is challenging and intimidating. That’s why many people don’t even bother trying. 

To finish your goals, simply start and keep going. Even if you make mistakes, keep going. Starting toward your goal on Day 1 isn’t the most crucial step. That’s putting in Day 2, the day after perfect.

111

1.04K reads

Fifty-Percent Complete

Fifty-Percent Complete

If you want to achieve your goal, aim for 50% completion. That is, cut your goal in half. This will work for goals like losing weight, or running in the morning.

Some goals are difficult to cut in half. For those, don’t cut them in half; give yourself more time.

So you can apply two tactics – cutting the goal in half or doubling the timeline – to many goals. Slicing your goals in half or extending your timeline may feel like “cheating,” but either step will make you much more likely to reach your targets. Starting small may feel unnatural at first, but you will achieve big results.

124

913 reads

Workplace Goals

Workplace Goals

Research says that setting realistic goals leads to much better performance than setting overly aggressive targets, but what happens in the workplace where you don’t control the timeline? You may want to have a conversation with your boss about the utility of setting achievable goals.

Make sure your workplace goals are the right size from the beginning.

109

940 reads

JON ACUFF

Perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.

JON ACUFF

116

1.18K reads

Choosing Your Failures

Choosing Your Failures

Time is your most valuable resource. To achieve your goals, pour that resource into your efforts. That means prioritizing where and how you spend your time. When you grant some of your time to one goal, of necessity you take that time from another goal. You can’t have it all no matter what you try to do. Yes, you can squeeze in a few extra things if you structure your days differently.

Even so, you’re going to miss out on something. Instead of biting off more than you can chew and failing, choose what you’re going to fail at and succeed at something that counts.

122

673 reads

Let Go Of Trying To Be Perfect In Everything

Let Go Of Trying To Be Perfect In Everything

If you’re like most people, you spend your life aiming too high. You don’t have to lower your standards, just stay realistic about your time frames and what you can accomplish.

You have only two options right now.

1. Attempt more than is humanly possible and fail.

2. Choose what to bomb and succeed at a goal that matters.

115

719 reads

Have Fun and Get It Done

Have Fun and Get It Done

Many people fail to achieve their goals because they think goals must be difficult. One huge lie perfectionism tells you is that goals don’t count if they’re fun. Scientists and others who study goal setting look at various factors, including satisfaction and performance success, measurements that capture “how you felt about the process” and “what you actually got done.

For example, losing weight is a worthy goal, but it’s hard. Motivating yourself to run on a treadmill every day is hard. The trick is to make it fun. Figure out how to add joy to your efforts. Fun is personal.

113

576 reads

Reward and Fear

Reward and Fear

Be careful how you package your fun. People respond, in general, to two types of motivation: reward and fear.

Some people live for the reward. When they know what they want, their instinct drives them to achieve. For example, paying off their debt gives them the freedom to go shopping without stress, or wanting to fit into their old jeans motivates them to work out.

Fear also motivates people: They fear the consequences of not acting.

110

589 reads

Your Hiding Places

Your Hiding Places

Sometimes your hiding places – where you go to avoid work – are easy to find, such as watching your favorite show on Netflix when it’s time to clean the house. Some hiding places are sneaky; you think you’re being productive by emptying your inbox, but you’re actually avoiding writing your blog. Identify your hiding places by asking if you engage in “obvious time wasters.”

Ask your friends if you spend too much time, effort or money on tasks or hobbies that don’t help you reach your goals.

118

591 reads

Your Noble Obstacles

Your Noble Obstacles

Noble obstacles are chores you must finish before you can attack your real goals.

Noble obstacles often rely on the word “until” – as in, “I can’t do my taxes until I know what kind of business I’m really trying to build” or “Karen won’t start her blog until she’s checked in with a copyright lawyer first.”

Using “until” as an excuse seems respectable. It seems as if you’re getting all your ducks in a row before taking action, but in reality, it’s just another form of perfectionism. It can lead you to throw your hands up and say meeting your goal is too hard, so you won’t try.

117

516 reads

A New Way To Procrastinate

A New Way To Procrastinate

An alternative to saying “until” is saying “if…then.” It sets up a different form of procrastination.

You procrastinate or don’t start working because you’ve set an imaginary clock or pre-goal for yourself and waiting for that to happen, you come to feel as if it’s too late to start toward your goal. It’s never too late to try. You always have time to begin.

110

565 reads

Data Don't Lie!

Data Don't Lie!

Unlike emotions, data don’t lie. Use data to measure your progress. Data clarify where you are, but you may find them hard to use. Ignorance is bliss. It’s so much easier to avoid checking your bank account, stepping on a scale, making doctor appointments, and so forth. Data will tell you, for example, that you spend too much at coffee shops. If you buy into the lie of perfectionism, you may avoid the objectivity of data.

110

534 reads

JON ACUFF

This goes against every sappy motivational statement…but if you dream too big at the start, you curse your finish.

JON ACUFF

107

758 reads

Measure Your Goals And Progress

Measure Your Goals And Progress

Information helps you measure any number of things related to your goals: time, products sold, pounds lost, miles run, how much money you saved, and the like. Pick one to three aspects of your life to measure. You may be tempted to measure more, but start small and win big.

See how simple it is to track your progress. When you’re successful, you can add in measuring more factors. If you’re not happy with your progress, adjust your goal, timeline or actions.

105

544 reads

CURATED BY

natashamiller

Network engineer

CURATOR'S NOTE

Setting new goals is easy, but finishing them is hard. In this blockbuster bestseller, blogger and popular speaker Jon Acuff shares his plans to help you actually achieve your goals.

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the World’s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

samz905

Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates