Elevated Path's Key Ideas from Finish What You Start
by Peter Hollins

1. Consistency Over Perfection : It’s better to be consistently good than occasionally perfect. Small, consistent efforts lead to greater long-term success than sporadic bursts of perfectionism.

2. Embrace Small Wins: Celebrating small victories along the way can boost motivation and keep you moving toward your larger goals.

3. Accountability Matters: Having someone to hold you accountable can significantly increase your chances of finishing what you start. This could be a friend, family member, or mentor.

The Art of Habits Guide (It's free)

1. Daily Habits

2. Breaking Down Goals

3. Accountability Partners

The Art of Habits Guide (It's free)

Establishing a morning routine that includes planning your day can set a productive tone.

For instance, dedicating the first 30 minutes to list and prioritize tasks helps maintain focus throughout the day.

If you're writing a book, break it down into manageable sections.

Set mini-deadlines for each chapter instead of focusing on the daunting task of completing the entire book.

This makes the process less overwhelming and more achievable

Join a study group or a professional organization where members check in on each other's progress.

This accountability encourages consistency and provides a support system to stay motivated.

1. To Follow Through Requires Focus, Discipline, Action, and Persistence
2. Internal and External Motivators
3. Create a Set of Rules to Keep You Moving Toward Your Goals
4. The ‘10 Minutes, 10 Hours, 10 Days’ Rule
5. The ‘10 Minutes’ More Rule
6. Reaffirm Your Intentions
7. Adopt a Follow-Through Mindset
8. Defeating Procrastination
9. Create a No Distraction Zone
10. Group Similar Tasks Together to Improve Productivity
11. The 40/70 Rule
12. When You Need a Minibreak at Work, Do Nothing
13. Use your preferences and strengths to increase productivity
14. Keep Score and Celebrate to Increase Your Success

The Art of Habits Guide (It's free)

We're great at thinking about what we need to do, but not so great at actually doing it.

Following through takes focus, self-discipline, action, and persistence.

Focus helps direct our efforts toward our goals.

Self-discipline keeps us on track despite distractions.

Action turns plans into reality,

while persistence helps us stick to our goals despite setbacks.

Often, we sabotage ourselves with unclear goals, procrastination, and distractions.

Effective time management involves planning and choosing the right tasks at the right time to maximize productivity.

Sometimes, we struggle to stay motivated.

Motivation arises when we care about our goals, receive positive benefits from our actions, and avoid negative consequences.

Internal motivators, the “why” behind our efforts, make each task worthwhile, pushing us to keep going even when tired or disinterested.

By regularly reviewing our goals and reasons, we can fuel our motivation.

External motivators help us avoid negative outcomes, like disappointing others or losing a job.

To maximize motivation, use distinct and memorable cues to constantly remind yourself of your “why.”

You will face forks in the road where you must deliberate between following through or giving up.

Instead of relying on willpower every single time, having rules for yourself can help you make the hard decisions.

"We can create rules that specify how we make every decision (no exceptions) to help us accomplish our goals."

Rules hold you accountable, guide your worldview, and direct your daily actions.

A good example of a rule is to always complete two tasks on your to-do list for your goal every day.

It’s simply unacceptable not to do this—you must complete the steps no matter what.

We often realize our actions are harmful but struggle to stop them because we don't connect our present actions with future consequences.

The "10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days" rule helps bridge this gap by highlighting how fleeting short-term pleasure is compared to long-term consequences.

For instance, skipping a workout might seem insignificant now, but in 10 days, it could derail a new routine.

On the other hand, if exercise is already a habit, missing one session won't harm your long-term goals.

This rule boosts self-discipline by focusing on the impact over time.

The ‘10 minutes more’ rule is simple, easy, and powerful.

Each time you feel like stopping work or giving into temptation, simply say, “Just 10 minutes more.”

Ten minutes is nothing, so you can easily wait (or continue) that long. 

If you’ve forced yourself to do something productive for 10 minutes, you might end up doing it for 15 or even 20 minutes more.

At some iteration of  “Just 10 minutes more,” you’ll reach a point of momentum, and that’s often enough to carry you for hours.

Gradually you will become more immune to temptation and distraction, and your focus tolerance will grow.

When you find yourself deliberating between quitting and following through, state your “I want, I will, and I won’t” statements: 

“I want…” is your end goal and how you will benefit from it.

“I will…” is how you must reach that end goal and the work you need to do to get there.

“I won’t…” is what you shouldn’t do because that action will impede progress toward your end goal.

When you make these statements constantly—your end goal, the steps you must take, and actions to omit to reach it – all becomes crystal clear.

It takes effort to follow through on something as it sometimes involves uncomfortable situations, unpleasant sacrifices, and the fear of stepping into the unknown.

However, some things are only learned by completing goals - including what it takes to finish something and what you are made of.

Mindsets can help with following through.

It is a set way of approaching situations and problems.

Certain mindsets give you the will and motivation necessary to follow through on something, while others can impede progress or have you give up just because the going gets tough. 

Procrastination leads to stress, frustration, and poor work quality.

Behavioral psychology explains this through "time inconsistency," where we prioritize immediate gratification over long-term rewards.

Think of it as having two selves: the present self and the future self.

While it's easy to envision goals for your future self, your present self prefers instant rewards.

To combat this, bring rewards into the present so your current self feels immediate benefits, making it easier to stick to long-term goals.

A significant amount of our actions are just responses to our environment.

Distractions interrupt the flow, and returning our attention to the original task after being distracted is an extremely inefficient use of time.

Clearing the workplace of distractions will clear your mind, increasing focus, efficiency, and productivity.

A clear workspace allows us to become more disciplined with very little use of willpower.

Switching from task to task takes a lot of energy, and you waste time regaining your bearings and figuring out the status of each task.

This leads to achieving just a portion of what you can and want to.

Grouping similar tasks together allow you to focus on your tasks without constantly being distracted and having to reorganize your mind.

Staying in the same mindset pays huge dividends in increased productivity.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell suggests that when making tough decisions, you should gather between 40% and 70% of the information you need.

With less than 40%, you risk making uninformed choices and mistakes.

With more than 70%, you may become overwhelmed and indecisive, potentially missing the opportunity altogether.

The ideal range of 40% to 70% allows you to make informed decisions while relying on your intuition to guide you, helping you act without getting stuck in analysis paralysis.

There’s a reason why we tend to get more epiphanies when we are zoning out at the gym or in the shower.

Thought is inherently fatiguing and taxing on the mind and is characterized by the brain emitting beta waves.

Relaxation and a lack of attention, on the other hand, are characterized by the brain emitting alpha waves – those waves are also associated with enhanced memory, creative thinking, and overall increased happiness.

When you relax more and do nothing, your mind is free to wander, and your body is able to recharge.

People have different work styles. Some prefer detailed schedules, while others need flexibility.

Some thrive in quiet solitude, while others excel in social environments.

Imposing unsuitable routines or environments on yourself can hinder success.

Productivity flourishes when we work in the right environment and time that suits us best.

By aligning your work with your preferences and strengths, you can maximize your energy and deliver peak performance when you're at your best.

People play and work differently when they keep score as it provides automatic motivation.

Each completed task shows that reaching the target goal is becoming more feasible as they begin to view each day as a chance to rack up more points on the scoreboard.

Having some reward or incentive for when the goal is completed (and at points along the way) can give you something to look forward to, pushing you forward even when you want to give up.

Combining scoreboards and celebrations is a powerful tool to improve productivity.

1. Identify and schedule what you need to do to achieve goals
2. Use external motivators to push you toward success
3. Clearly identify your “why” to motivate you to meet your goals
4. Create your Personal Manifesto
5. Decide based on the 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days rule
6. Follow the ‘10 minutes more’ rule to resist distraction
7. Create your “I want, I will, and I won’t” statement to reaffirm your intentions
8. View working towards goals as a learning tool
9. Use instant rewards to beat procrastination and increase productivity
10. Optimize your work environment to increase focus
11. Group similar tasks together

12. Use the ‘40/70’ rule to achieve your goal

13. Do nothing during mini-breaks at work

14. Organize your working environment

15. Keep a detailed scoreboard to track your progress

The Art of Habits Guide (It's free)

1. Define your goal.
2. List the tasks needed to meet your goal in order of importance. Taking time to do this now increases efficiency.
3. Write down the best time to do each task. When do you work most effectively, and on which tasks?
4. Write down the distractions and temptations that might stop you from doing your most important tasks.
5. Schedule the tasks, considering their priority and the best time to do each.
6. Perform your tasks as planned. This takes focus and self-discipline. Planning without action is procrastination.
7. Make necessary improvements to your schedule based on your experience.

1. Choose an accountability partner or group to help you commit to achieving your goal. A person or people who hold you accountable, encourage you and let you know when to lift your game – someone you don’t want to disappoint.
2. Invest in your personal development to help you achieve your goal. Subscribe to a gym membership, enroll in courses or hire a life coach.
3. Give someone money and tell them not to return it until you complete a certain task or reach a goal. Now you will take action!
4. Promise yourself a reward if you complete a task or reach a goal.

1. Write down one ultimate goal you’ve set for yourself.

2. Answer the following questions to gain clarity on “why” you want to achieve that goal.

• What will I get by completing this goal?
• How will my life change or benefit from meeting this goal?
• How will my family benefit?
• What impact will I have on others?
• What positive emotions will I feel when I complete this goal?
• Are the sacrifices I have to make worth the end result?

3. Review your answers.

4. Create distinct and memorable prompts to remind you of these motivators.

5. Display these prompts so you will be exposed to them often during the day.

1. Identify your top three daily tasks each day

ideally at the end of the day, to prepare for tomorrow’s priorities.

2. Set five daily requirements to stay on track

like reading 30 pages or working four hours before lunch. These clear goals will guide your day.

3. Set five daily limitations to minimize distractions

such as limiting Facebook to one hour a day, ensuring focus.

4. Place your Personal Manifesto (requirements and limitations) in a visible spot to keep yourself accountable.

5. Review and adjust your Personal Manifesto every three months to ensure it's driving you toward your goals.

1. When facing temptation, pause and ask:

• How will you feel in 10 minutes? You might enjoy the moment with a bit of regret.
• How will you feel in 10 hours? The pleasure will likely be gone, replaced by shame or regret, especially if it disrupts your goals.
• How will you feel in 10 days? You may either regret missing an opportunity or find that one lapse won’t matter much.
• How will you feel in 10 weeks?Consider how this decision will affect your future.

Decide accordingly. If it won’t have a lasting impact, indulge. If it could cause long-term regret, resist.

• When you feel distracted or have an urge to turn to a distraction, force yourself to work or wait for 10 minutes before giving in to whatever the urge is.

• If you’re still craving it after 10 minutes, then have it - or wait 10 more minutes. You’ve survived the first ten minutes – This builds your discipline, and you may end up being more productive for a longer time.

• Keep trying for 10 minutes more. At some point, your momentum may carry you for hours.
• Notice that your self-discipline and productivity are growing. You’re becoming more immune to temptation and distraction.

When deciding between quitting and following through, follow these steps:

1. Identify your "I want": State your end goal and its benefits, like "I want to be rich" or "I want to be fit."

2. Identify your "I will": Specify the actions needed to reach your goal, such as "I will finish this project by completing the calculations and writing the report."

3. Identify your "I won’t": List distractions or actions to avoid, like "I won’t distract myself with social media."

Combine them: Example: "I want a promotion, so I will complete the next two tasks, and I won’t check my phone for the next hour."

• Approach your endeavors as quests for knowledge by asking, "What can I learn from this?" Viewing life as a series of lessons reduces the fear of failure because learning is always gained.
• When facing a challenge, stay curious about which strategy might work. Without following through, no knowledge is gained.
• Embrace trial-and-error, as learning through experience builds valuable skills. Even if you fail, you learn what doesn't work and can try again with greater success.
• Once you reach your goal, reflect on what you’ve learned, the strategies used, and the skills gained.

1. Grab a pen and paper.
2. Divide your paper into two columns.
3. In the first column, list the actions required to become your ideal ‘future self.’
4. Highlight those actions you tend to avoid.
5. On the other side, list activities and guilty pleasures which you enjoy.
6. Pair the obligations you tend to avoid with instantaneous rewards.

Match your temptations with your long-term goals. It could be working out while watching TV, working while soaking your feet in a salt bath, and so on.

1. Remove anything from your work environment that may distract you. This includes your phone or apps that are distractive enough to prevent you from fully focusing on work.
2. Place positive prompts where you will see them and use them. Replace unhealthy snacks with fruit. If you want to practice your violin more, put it on your desk with your music notes open.
3. Avoid multitasking. When you switch from Task A to Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow — some of it remains stuck thinking about the original task.

Divide your paper into two columns:

- Left column: List daily tasks, including work, distractions, and breaks, and group similar tasks to save mental energy.

- Right column: Assign the best time and duration for each task, noting when you're most productive.

Create rules for each task, like checking emails every two hours, scheduling meetings on specific afternoons, and limiting social media to 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon.

Stick to your schedule, knowing you’ve allocated time for both work and distractions.

1. Identify a goal you are currently pursuing.

2. Get 40-70% of the information, experience, and/or planning you need to achieve that goal.

This range of certainty helps tap into your intuition and to act.

3. As you work on the task, continue analyzing, planning, and learning more.13

1. When you need a break at work, sit, relax, and do nothing

Resist the urge to pick up your phone and scroll through your social media. Instead, try staring into space – doing nothing.

2. Allow your mind to wander and daydream.

3. If you have any ideas or insights, briefly note them.

Quickly write them on your notepad.

4. Observe how it makes you feel recharged and refreshed.