10 Tips to Start -- Guidelines to Start a Task & Finish Successfully

Each day we have to start somewhere. Most of the life we focus on starting something. Starting to break a bad habit. Being it starting a new relationship. Or staring job search. Or just starting to 'start something'. Even though you have many to-do lists based on Franklin Covey's method or GTD method, it's important that with each of these item on the to-do you have to start and finish.

Some people seem to forever stuck in Start. Some might start with great trepidation, but once started finish fast. Who are you? Whoever you are, whatever system you foloow the satisfaction is in finishing.

Below are some guidelines to successfully start and finish a task.

Guideline to successfully start and finish.
1. Evaluate the Difficulty:

• Estimate the size of the task.
• Try to make a list of the basics you need to start
• Talk to people who did the same task before, or browse the internet and search for the information.
• Set a very short deadline to start: I will start in next 20 minutes and gather the information in a day.
  
• Sometimes it might appear as a small task before you start, but only when you start it you will realize the enormity. If so, step back and re-evaluate.

2. Take the next Step

• Take one step at a time. One foot in front of the other
• Each day is a step. Estimate how much time you need to allocate each day to finish in time
  
• Each day, check if you went up the stairs or down the stairs
  
• If you are stuck, don't forget to talk to people.
• The goal is to move forward and not stay on a step.

3. Re-Evaluate: Maybe this is a Finish

• Many time people start with big goals, and feel discouraged as time passes. In such cases, stop and evaluate if you did reach a intermediate goal, and do not realize that
  
• Think and see if may be you need to take a shorter route, or need few more steps to reach the top
  
• Small finishes, will give you the motivation to keep moving forward.If it is breaking of bad habit like giving up coffee, even decreasing it by 50% is a small finish.
  
• Celebrate your finishes. Brag about them. Write them down.
  

AT END OF EACH DAY EVALUATE WHAT YOU FINISHED. IT CAN BE JUST FINISHING TAKING A STEP FORWARD.

Photos are from Microsoft word clip art gallery