Why you struggle to complete what you start

I saw this tweet from James Clear the other day:

It hit me right between the eyes because I've been guilty of this so many times.

And maybe you can relate to it as well.

You ever find yourself chasing the perfect stack of tools, the ideal workflow, the new AI that will somehow make everything easier.

Meanwhile, the people who are just... you know... FINISHING THINGS... are lapping us.

And it got me thinking about two things specifically:

First, the psychological cost of project-hopping is way higher than we realise.

Every time you abandon something halfway, you're obviously loosing losing the time you put into it.

But you're training your brain that starting things is more important than finishing them.

That initial excitement matters more than the messy middle.

For example, maybe you start a YouTube channel, then decide Instagram is the place to be.

Then you post some reels, then pivot to TikTok.

Maybe you make 15 TikToks, then decide actually you need a podcast.

Before you know it, you’ve spent a year "building a brand" but have nothing to show for it.

No audience.

No completed body of work.

No momentum.

And here’s something I don’t see many talking about:

There's a massive difference between the "Starting High" and the "Completion High."

Starting something new gives you a quick dopamine hit - that rush of excitement when you buy a new course or sign up for a new platform or download a new app.

It feels amazing... for about a day.

But there's this deeper satisfaction that comes from actually finishing something.

It's more like serotonin - the longer-lasting "satisfaction" that creates sustained well-being instead of just a quick spike.

You can only access that completion high by, well, completing things.

Tool-switchers and constant optimisers never experience it.

They're just chasing dopamine hit after dopamine hit without building that deeper psychological reward system.

And that's the second thing - momentum.

To just keep showing up in the same place, doing the same thing, getting incrementally better.

It compounds in a way that constantly switching tools or platforms or strategies never will.

I'm not saying you should never optimise or try new tools.

But optimisation should come after completion, not instead of it.

I'm not immune to this.

I'm a sucker for a new tool or platform that promises to make everything easier.

But the more experience I get, the more I realise that putting stuff out there beats over optimising almost every time.

So I’ve got a challenge for you as we head into a new week:

What's 1 thing you've started but haven't finished?

1 project that's sitting at 60% complete while you've moved on to something else?

Commit to finishing it.

Even if your process isn't perfect.

Even if there might be a better way.

Because a finished project at 80% quality beats a perfect project that never ships 100% of the time.

Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱

P.S. Don't forget our LinkedIn personal branding Power Hour next Thursday with the co-founder of Hot Desk. Toby’s going to break down exactly how to position yourself on LinkedIn to attract opportunities rather than chasing them. This is perfect if you're ready to stop platform-hopping and commit to building real momentum in one place. Join the community to take part.

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