Focus. #deliver Finish What You Start
How do I finish work instead of juggling half-done tasks?
Limit your work in progress, write down what done looks like before you start, and pick ONE thing and finish it instead of starting five. Cut scope instead of working longer when time runs short. Stop starting new tasks and start finishing what is already on your plate.
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The tips, one per Thursday
36 editions of Focus. #deliver on this theme. Each links to the full article on LinkedIn.
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October 1, 2026
When time runs short, don't work longer — find the core feature that delivers 80% of the value and move the rest to a future backlog.
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September 17, 2026
Write your completion criteria before you start; when you hit them, stop tweaking and ship.
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September 3, 2026
Set a personal work-in-progress limit of one: finish the current task before opening anything new.
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March 12, 2026
Create a physical or verbal ritual that marks a task as officially finished, so you can focus on the next thing.
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February 26, 2026
Deliver the "good enough" version and get real feedback instead of obsessing over details that add no value.
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February 12, 2026
Use the "one thing" rule: pick the single most impactful task and ignore the rest until it's delivered.
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December 4, 2025
Get ready today: being prepared is what lets you do less. If you're not ready, you'll keep spinning and never get there.
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October 16, 2025
Think of the action hero who wowed you as a kid, and be that hero on your next task today.
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October 9, 2025
Take the first step today: act on one thing, even if it isn't the right thing.
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September 25, 2025
When you're scattered and doing everything, come up with one action item.
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June 12, 2025
Stop thinking and talking about delivering, and deliver.
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February 20, 2025
When you're overwhelmed, sometimes it really is that simple: do the work to clear your plate, and own it.
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January 30, 2025
Once your current thing is finished, start the next one, even if it's not the "right" thing.
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January 23, 2025
Do your current thing now, before you move on to the next.
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December 26, 2024
Pick something you have open today and close it.
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December 12, 2024
When you have so much to do that you freeze, pick something and do it.
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December 5, 2024
Don't make everything Priority One: pick your real number one and finish it before you start the next.
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September 26, 2024
When you're not feeling it, look in the mirror, figure out the ONE next right thing and do it.
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August 8, 2024
Don't know what to do? Do. There is no try.
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June 27, 2024
Let go of the pressure to make the perfect choice: make one and move on.
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May 22, 2024
Celebrate what you finish, no matter how small or big.
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May 16, 2024
Get to the finish line: finish it.
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May 9, 2024
Pick ONE thing on your to-do list and either do it now or delete it. Either way, it's off your list.
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May 2, 2024
If everyone looks busy but nothing is getting delivered, you may have too many dependencies: identify them and reduce them.
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April 18, 2024
If stuff is never ready to start, refine what you want to do today (in Scrum, Product Backlog Refinement) so you can actually get started.
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April 11, 2024
Pick ONE thing you've started and not finished, and deliver it. It won't be perfect, but it will be done.
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December 21, 2023
If you can't stop starting new things, start finishing what's already going.
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December 7, 2023
Go deep on ONE thing you NEED to get done: start it, go deep, finish it, and notice what happens.
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November 23, 2023
Limit work in process to ONE at a time: prioritize today's list and start on the most important thing.
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June 30, 2023
Follow up, with a yes or no, on the ONE thing you've been putting off, and enjoy having one less thing to do.
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June 15, 2023
Too many choices? Pick something and go; there will always be more options later.
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May 25, 2023
After you've diverged, converge: clear out the idea factory, pick ONE thing and do it.
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May 11, 2023
Stop constantly stopping: go.
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April 20, 2023
Recognize that you're stuck, then do ONE thing. Doing less doesn't mean doing nothing.
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August 11, 2022
Too many ideas? Pick ONE thing from the never-ending list, start it, finish it and repeat.
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June 2, 2022
Stop starting new things all at the same time.
More Focus. #deliver themes
- How do I protect my focus when everything is urgent?
- How do I recover when I'm exhausted, overwhelmed or stuck?
- How do I avoid building things nobody needs?
- How do I stop wasting time on routines that add no value?
- How do I lead and communicate with less noise?
- How do I connect and collaborate with other people?