Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

More entertaining than informative, there's nothing revelatory in the insights but it is a quick read and he's a funny writer. I will probably use some of his advice, and at least I did finish the book. He'd probably be fun to meet at a party or even just sitting in an airport because he has a great perspective and does not take himself too seriously. I'd buy the book again, but don't have to now because I already have...

Finish acts as a no B.S. guide to getting things done as it helped me quickly identify the barriers, self-imposed and external, that stand in the way of completing what I’ve started. I highly recommend this book to professionals looking to be more effective when it comes to their productivity and better managing their ability to execute. Finish is particularly applicable to creative creators who are writing, podcasting, shooting video or developing any other format of content as there’s a lot of particular tips for helping simplify your goals to ensure you’re able to reach the finish line and get things published. Here are my three big takeaways from the book and why I recommend giving this a read: 1) The pursuit of perfectionism keeps you from reaching your goals. Acuff suggests coming to the realization that your goals won’t be perfect and that you’ve got to develop a tolerance for imperfection. There will be failures along the way as you navigate your tasks, but that doesn’t mean you should stop because of a misstep or two or maybe even three. 2) Reduce your goals to ensure you reach the finish line. He suggests cutting your initial goals in half to make them more attainable as we typically fall prey to planning fallacy, the tendency to make plans unrealistically close to best-case scenarios. A researcher at the University of Memphis studied the members enrolled in one of Acuff’s courses and found that “90 percent of the people that cut their goal in half said they had an increased desire to work on their goal; it encouraged them to keep going, and it motivated them to work harder because the goal seemed attainable.” He found that people were more eager to continue forward and finish their projects when their goals became manageable and the pace was adjusted accordingly. 3) Identify the made-up rules that hold you back and break them. “Perfectionism is a desperate attempt to live up to impossible standards,” according to Acuff. These impossible standards are secret rules or limiting beliefs we all abide by that direct our work and make it more difficult to complete the tasks we’ve committed to. A common secret rule is that only miserable, difficult goals count says Acuff like running to lose weight because that sounds more taxing than Zumba, which you’d rather be doing in the first place. He recommends replacing any cumbersome rules with new ones that are flexible, reasonable, healthy and truthful. If you’re looking to better understand your behavior when it comes to time management, goal setting and productivity, than I highly recommend reading Finish. It’s light, funny and easy to read with strong takeaways you can immediately act on.

Most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. According to a commonly cited statistic, 92 percent of resolution-makers become resolution-breakers. The odds may not be ever in your favor, it seems. Of course, most people don’t accomplish their goals, period. It doesn’t matter to your body whether you resolve to eat right and exercise on January 1 or July 17, for example. The only thing that matters is whether you eat right and exercise. You can start doing those things — or not doing them — any time of the year. The same goes with any other goal. So why do our resolutions fail? Why don’t we finish what we start? There may be any number of reasons, but Jon Acuff thinks that perfectionism is “the ultimate villain.” He writes: "The problem is that perfectionism magnifies your mistakes and minimizes your progress. It does not believe in incremental success. Perfectionism portrays your goal as a house of cards. If one thing doesn’t go perfectly, the whole thing falls apart. The smallest misstep means the entire goal is ruined. "Perfectionism also messes us up by making us aim too high. There are perhaps a thousand reasons 92 percent of resolutions fail, but one of the greatest is also one of the most deceptive. "When we create a goal, we aim for something better. We want to look better. We want to feel better. We want to be better. But then better turns into best. We don’t want small growth. We want massive, overnight success." The key to keeping your New Year’s resolutions and accomplishing your goals starts with kicking perfectionism to the curb. This is easier said than done, however, so Acuff recommends taking six action steps: 1. Cut your goal in half. 2. Choose what to bomb. 3. Make it fun if you want it done. 4. Leave your hiding places and ignore noble obstacles. 5. Get rid of your secret rules. 6. Use data to celebrate your imperfect progress. Again, this looks easy, but while Acuff keeps the tone of the book light — he’s a very witty author — there are sound motivational principles behind his advice. And he fleshes out how to take each action step with concrete examples, diagnostic questions and helpful suggestions. Reading a book isn’t a magic wand. Accomplishing your goals requires work, often hard work. But the work doesn’t have to be impossible or joyless. In fact, it should be doable and tap into your deepest hopes. As the New Year begins, don’t let the best get in the way of the better. Don’t let perfectionism hinder progress, however small. Be realistic, be patient…and get ’er done!

Great Read! Very inspiring.

The book is a good read. Straight to the point with helpful skills you can start using right away! Great!

A different and relevant look at goals, why most are not achieved and useful insights into improving your success rate of done! Great mix of humour to keep it light and engaging.

I enjoyed the reading. Even when the tone (by the middle of the book) became too comedic for advices on how to overcome some serious psychological issues. I recommend the reading for people that tried and failed and failed and failed to become more productive.

No me acuerdo cómo he llegado a este libro y de todos modos fue una bendición haberlo encontrado. Con sencillez se enfrenta un problema común a muchas personas: iniciar las tareas sin llevarlas a cabo = procrastinación. Reconozco ser una persona que tiende a posponer sus deberes y me sentí identificado en este libro de Jon Acuff. "Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done" me encantó por sus tips y estilo de escritura por lo que leerlo no fue pesado. Si deseas hacer un grande cambio en tu vida y lograr las metas que no has podido alcanzar hasta la fecha, esto es el libro ideal.

Excellent read, to the point and above all: actionable. Helps you to understand yourself, your excuses and self limiting barriers.

I have been doing some serious goal setting for over ten years now. Achieving my goals has been mainly a success ... but ... not always. There have been some goals that ... no matter how hard I tried ... I would just drop them along the way. This book - Finish: Give yourself the gift on done - has revolutionised my thinking. It was engaging, funny at times, and full of really really useful and applicable information. It mixed a good level of statistics and science with practical advice. It was an entertaining read while giving some new approaches to old problems - but ones that actually work. It also rebuked some old beliefs of "no pain, no gain" and similar and really drummed home the message that you're much more likely to complete a task if it is fun. But that's just one lesson - there were many many others. If you actually want to achieve things, and still want to enjoy your life, then read this book. It's that simple. I will be sure to re-read it again in the future, to ensure I refresh on all of those useful lessons.