How to Finish the Job

You launched into a new project with great enthusiasm and gusto. You planned, estimated, purchased materials and supplies and laid everything out. Then you started and worked steadily for a time. Then, for reasons you cannot explain, you stopped. You were this close to getting it done and you quit. It's a great job, so finish it. Here's how to get motivated again.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Take yourself back in time and look at images of the finished product; talk to your buddy who finished a similar project. Remember why you started this in the first place.
2. Get the instructions out and bring yourself back up to speed. How does it go together? How will it do when it's finished? At which step did you leave off?
3. Review your progress to date. Remember when you had to re-engineer that part. Recall how you had to work around the missing pieces. Remember how proud you were of those moments.
4. Drag it out of the closet, the garage, or the computer and look at it. Spread the whole thing out and evaluate how much work is left. If it helps, go back into planning mode and devise a completion plan.
5. Identify your next project. If you have a new one waiting for you under the workbench, in the yarn closet, on your desktop, you might find yourself newly inspired to finish this one and move on.
6. Use some self-discipline. Force yourself to pick up whatever tool you need and do just one small thing; most likely, it will lead to another small thing, and another until you're done. Before you know it, you'll have this project finished.