Hey everyone,
When countries first started going into lockdown, I got a ton of emails and WhatsApp messages from Finishers asking how I was coping and more importantly, if I had any advice for them on how to keep being productive during what was turning out to be a very uncertain and stressful time.
I gave them the same advice I give to myself when I’m faced with overwhelm:
Go for The Daily Finish.
The Daily Finish is what I call the process of, you guessed it, finishing something daily. Whether it’s the outline of a pitch, a scene in the novel, important emails that needed tackling, sending out a newsletter, or the first draft of an essay, I narrow my focus exclusively on making sure that I’m finishing one small thing every day, ideally at the beginning of the day.
This helps you get something done and allows you to feel good about yourself for having made some progress, even if it was small. Then, if you feel like continuing, you can keep working. But if not, you can take the rest of the day off guilt-free, knowing that you still took a small baby step forward despite how you were feeling.
I’ve been doing the Daily Finish for several weeks and despite not having done as much as I would have liked, I also don’t feel particularly behind.
Thought I’d share this little strategy. It’s a good one to have in your back pocket for lean times.
Cheers,
Natasha