DaVincis — creative people juggling many different ideas, projects and talents — are much better at starting things than finishing them. Once you do decide to finish something — to push through until you really have completed what you set out to do — you may find yourself facing these four common challenges:
Challenge #1: Pushing through the last 5 – 10%
The last bits of a project can seem overwhelming and insurmountable. How can you keep yourself from stopping short?
Solutions:
* Ask others to hold you accountable.
* Make a public declaration that you will finish by a particular day.
* Plan a big party for your target deadline. (It’s embarrassing to have a wrap party if the film is still shooting).
* Arrange a reward for after you’re finished.
* Make a public declaration that if you DON’T finish by a particular day, you will donate a substantial amount to a cause you DON’T support.
Challenge #2: Bright, Shiny Thing Syndrome
About the time you’re almost done, you get distracted by the Next Bright Shiny Thing to come along. It’s new, it’s exciting and it sweeps your attention away from the more familiar project on which you’ve been working.
Solutions:
* Ask yourself which project is more important.
* If your current project is more important, remind yourself why. Rekindle your commitment.
* Park the ‘Next Bright Shiny’ idea somewhere safe and promise it as a treat to yourself when you’ve completed your current project.
Challenge #3: Fear of loss, premature grieving
Sometimes, when we’re heading to the home stretch on a project, we become filled with sadness…it’s like the tears at the end of summer camp, knowing that you’ll be missing the people and activities on which you’ve been focused.
Or you may feel concern about what will fill the void of this project, after it’s done.
Solutions:
* Understand what’s going on. It’s natural and valid to mourn losses. Acknowledge the people, places and activities you will miss at the conclusion of your project.
* Review your list of projects, practices and habits you’d like to do. Pick what you’d like to do next so you know you’ll have something interesting to turn to after you’re done your current project.
Challenge #4: Perfectionism
If you find that last 5% takes as long as the whole rest of the project, you’re probably tinkering a wee bit too much, striving for a ‘perfect’ product. Alas, there’s no such thing. As Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter, said: “Our films are never finished – they’re just released.”
Solutions:
* Realize that whatever you’re working on will never be perfect. Allow it to be ‘good enough’. Be like Pixar and ‘release’ your work, rather than finish it.
* Consider making it imperfect on purpose – like the carpet weavers who include an imperfection in their masterpieces.
* Work through the activities in my book Overcoming Perfectionism: Solutions for Perfectionists. Available here for only $2.99: http://bit.ly/perfectionismbook.
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For more on getting things done, check out my book GOAL SETTING & PLANNING FOR MULTI-TALENTED PEOPLE: How to figure out
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How about you? What challenges have you faced when trying to complete a creative project — and how do you overcome them? Please tell us in the comments section below.
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Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma™! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/ .
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