I am a procrastinator. I am easily distracted and get bored with some projects or tasks. This means I usually have quite a few UFPs (unfinished projects) laying around the house. Occasionally I will finish up a project or task without much nudging because I just needed to take a short break from it. Other times, it is ages before I finish something.
While cleaning out my parents closet last week I came across some small posters Mom had made up for various bible study classes. One deals with unfinished tasks so I thought I would share it with you. I am pretty confident that I’m not the only procrastinator or project hopper out there!
7 Ways to Complete Unfinished Tasks
- Pray for wisdom. If you don’t pray, then seek wisdom from a variety of trusted sources.
- Continue working on the task. Even if it means taking tiny baby steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
- Encourage others to help you. This can be by physically helping out or just emotional/spiritual support.
- Look for new ways to work at the task. Is there an easier way? Or can be combined with another task? Can you work on a different part of it now instead of what you were working on?
- Avoid letting distractions pull you away. You still need to take breaks if the task is physical or takes a long time. Just get back to the process ASAP.
- Make completing the task a priority.
- Seek motivation by focusing on the positive results of the completed task.
This is the order that Mom wrote them in. The italics are the parts I added to her words of wisdom. Overall I think Mom’s advice is pretty solid. It isn’t anything new or earthshaking however, every now and then I need a reminder when I look at all my UFPs and think it is hopeless.
What steps do you take to complete unfinished tasks at work or around the house?