The Weight of Unfinished Tasks
When we do not finish things, we create an invisible mental burden – a sense of unresolved tension that quietly silently drains our energy and focus. Having a pile of unfinished tasks can feel like walking through a dense fog, catching glimpses of interesting things with potential but never seeing them clearly.
When we regularly fail to finish what we start, we lose confidence and trust in ourselves, as well as in our process. We begin with an explosive rush, filled with excitement and passion, trying to cover as much ground as possible before time runs out. We tell ourselves that we will finish, but our behaviour often tells a different story. If we knew with certainty that we would reach the end, perhaps we could take our time, allowing ourselves to progress with less pressure and more assurance.
Why We Don't Finish
The reasons we fail to complete tasks often come down to perfectionism and fear of being judged. There are, of course, many other underlying reasons, but these tend to play a big part.
New projects are so alluring because they are brimming with unlimited potential. While something is unfinished, it remains alive, evolving, bursting with possibilities. Once it's finished, it's static – it's done.
By the end, there is no more discovery or growth within it, and that can feel like a loss of momentum or even a loss of identity. Moreover, once something is complete, it becomes available for judgement; its flaws or limitations become permanent. But while it is unfinished, it remains completely under your control, perfect in its potential form.
Good News
The good news is that finishing is a muscle that can be trained we can train. The more you finish, the more you strengthen that muscle, building a capacity for completion.
It’s interesting to think about this in comparison to other skills. We wouldn't give a beginner piano student an advanced, challenging piece right away – it’s obvious that they need time to build the necessary skills. Yet, we often expect ourselves to tackle huge, high-quality projects even if we haven’t been able to finish smaller tasks, like a book we started reading. Perhaps it's the intangible nature of these softer skills that makes us forget: just like learning an instrument, building the skill of finishing takes consistent, deliberate practice over time.
If, like me, you feel a certain bitterness about finishing things – because it means reaching the end of something you loved – try to shift your perspective. See finishing not as the end, but as a foundation for your next adventure. Completion doesn’t have to mean closure; it can mean creating space for the next layer of growth, a new challenge, or a deeper iteration. Maybe what you need is not to resist finishing, but to redefine what being “finished” can open up for you.
How to Build This Muscle
Finish Tiny Things
Just as with learning an instrument, start with easy tasks to get used to the feeling of finishing. Small things like completing a film or TV show you've left halfway, finishing a book, or wrapping up that piece of writing you got so close to completing.
Write a Bad Book
Perfectionism often sets the bar so high that it becomes unreachable. We want every story we write to change the world, every book we read to change our lives. Start by doing something, even if it’s not perfect. Set the quality bar low, even at mediocre. Anything completed is better than an amazing idea that remains unfinished. And once you start, your brain will automatically engage – assessing, improving, refining. The work becomes tangible, not just a hazy glimpse of potential in the fog.
Trust the Process
Relax. Sink into your chair. We have a habit of seeing every roadblock as some fundamental flaw in ourselves or our approach, but maybe it’s not. Ignore those initial doubts, and probably the next few as well. trust the journey.
You can always assess the process later to see if it's working for you, but at least you'll have feedback and tangible data to work with, rather than vague, ambiguous feelings.
