Let’s talk about That Thing.
You know, That Thing you want to work on. That Thing you dream of finishing. That Thing that’s sitting, unfinished (or unstarted) on your desk or your hard drive. Or, uh, a vague dream only in your head.
You keep saying you “need to find the time” to work on That Thing. Well, actually, you know you need to make the time, cuz “finding” is too passive, but…
You haven’t yet. You haven’t made the time. Or That Thing.
Welllll. Are you ready for a little bit of tough love? Cuz I’ve got a pair of facts for you:
- Unless you seriously commit, That Thing will never exist
- But…unless you give up on it and let it go, That Thing will kick around your headspace forever and sap your energy like a little guilt-and-procrastination vampire (thanks to the Ziegarnik Effect)
What’s the Ziegarnik Effect? Well, “The Zeigarnik Effect is the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts about an objective that was once pursued and left incomplete (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, pg. 122).”
In other words: That Thing, undone, will plague you forever. You’ll just be tootling along in your generally happy daily routine when *ZAP!* you’ll feel a sharp prick of regret and guilt and “I should really do That Thing.” Forever.
Ouch.
So you need to either finish That Thing, or let it go.
Are you ready to let That Thing go? To give up on it forever? To accept that it will never exist, or if it does, it will be because somebody else did it…not you? No?
Then it’s time to hitch up your Grown-ass Adult Panties (GAP) and get serious.
Now, I’m not one of those “productivity coaches” who will yell at you that you’re inadequate.
You are absolutely up to this challenge.
It’s perfectly normal to struggle with starting a project, staying the course, and finishing. Very little in our modern lives prepares us to work alone for an extended period with a delayed reward.
Repeat: You are normal. Your struggles are normal.
And those struggles are not a personal failing, and they’re not eternal.
You can learn the skills you need to start, finish, and ship.
And I’m here to help.
I’ve helped hundreds of my students get off their butts, make a plan, execute it and………ship. I even wrote a book about it.
Design, scope, roadmap, incremental work, finish work, launching…they’re not magic. They’re not personality traits. Everything you need to make That Thing is a skill, and that means that you can learn to do it, no matter what you’ve done (or haven’t done) in the past.
You can do it. For real.
Join me in the Ship by September Challenge
Today is July 15th. Join me, and I’ll help you ship That Thing by September 15th.
Two months is plenty long enough. Yes, really! Even with other stuff on your plate. Even over the summer!
If you’re sitting there thinking, “But That Thing is so huge, and complex…I can never wrap it up in 2 measly months”…
…well, that’s a sign that you really need to join the challenge, because yes, yes you can, if you approach it right.
And like I said…I’m here to help.
Join the September Challenge and you’ll receive 14 emails over the next 2 months to help you define your vision, cut it down to a manageable size, and get over the psychological pratfalls in order to start, finish, and ship That Thing. These email lessons are a mixture of rules and tricks from my book, personal stories, and case studies with actionable lessons for you.
If you’re ready to make That Thing really happen — really and truly, this time! — just drop your email address in the box below:
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