Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done pdfdrive com

The Truth About Fun
Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress.
Working hard for something we love is called passion.
—Simon Sinek
Perfectionism must hate this book right now. Let’s review the three actions

---

Perfectionism must hate this book right now. Let’s review the three actions
I’ve recommended:
1. Cut your goal in half.
2. Choose what you’ll bomb.
3. Make it fun if you want it done.
Easiest goal-setting book ever.
Seriously, what kind of task is “Have more fun?”
I’ll tell you. It’s the kind of task that statistically works.
It’s the kind of task that kills perfectionism.
It’s the kind of task that will propel you across the finish line.
But if you really want to get there, you’ll have to give up something first. It’s
time to let go of some hiding places and ignore your noble obstacles.
Actions:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how fun is the goal you might be working on?
2. Decide whether you’re motivated by fear or by reward.
3. Fun is often weird. (See balsam candle.) To flesh it out a little, finish this
sentence: “This is weird, but I find ____________fun.”
4. Pick three small points of fun you can add to your goal.

---

I
CHAPTER 5
Leave Your Hiding Places and Ignore Noble Obstacles
n 2004, I created a wildly successful fantasy basketball newsletter.
Right now, you’re wondering if it was one of the many fantasy basketball
newsletters you read during those heady days of digital NBA journalism. It
might have been, friend, it might have been.
Every week, I would deep dive into the many ups and downs of managing a
fantasy basketball team. (Sports guys like me call the NBA “the widow maker.”
Tough league.)
I’d review each team, dozens of players, and trends that the data was subtly
revealing. I didn’t dryly write, either; I peppered my prose with humor. You
might think you were going to get just an analysis of the top rebounders in the
league, but mingled in there were a chuckle and maybe even a life lesson.
Some issues were ten pages long, with thousands of words dedicated to the
most obscure minutiae. It was hard work, but the readers, fans really, made it all
worth it.
How many people read it each week? How many people enjoyed my hard-
won basketball knowledge? Eight.
Not eight thousand. Not eight hundred. Not even eight dozen. My entire
audience was eight people deep. So then why did I dedicate hours every week to
the newsletter?
Because it was a lot easier than writing a book.
At the beginning of any goal, perfectionism focuses on destroying it with a
full frontal attack.
It tells you that if it isn’t perfect, you should quit.
It says your goal isn’t big enough.
It criticizes you for even thinking about making it fun.
But if you hold on, if you refuse to allow perfectionism to denigrate your
goal, it will completely change tactics. Unexpectedly, it will move from

---

goal, it will completely change tactics. Unexpectedly, it will move from
destruction to distraction.
If it can’t break your wall down with a direct attack, it will lay siege to you
with other opportunities.
The closer you get to finishing, the more interesting everything else in your
life becomes. It’s as if you’ve put on distraction goggles. Things you never
noticed pop up and dance tantalizingly across your vision. “Wouldn’t it be better
to organize your bookshelf than finish that project? Have you updated your
Fantasy Football team in a while? You know, there’s a book somewhere that
said networking is important. Maybe you should ignore this paperwork and take
a quick lap around the office to rub some elbows.” (You should never rub a
coworker’s elbows. That’s creepy. Terrible phrase.)
When we dare to focus, a thousand other things beg for our attention.
Everyone has heard the phrase “paralysis by analysis.” You can get stuck
drawing a perfect plan and never actually get work done if you’re not careful.
But more than just analysis, perfectionism offers us two distinct distractions:
1. Hiding places
2. Noble obstacles
A hiding place is an activity you focus on instead of your goal.
A noble obstacle is a virtuous-sounding reason for not working toward a
finish.
Both are toxic to your ability to finish.