As you observe how people show up in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, you’ll notice that there are 5 distinct stages that people pass through. 

How people think, feel, and act varies by which stage someone is in.

Note that people come in at different stages, and often skip a stage or two, if they’re intentional and focused. 

With each stage, adoption of the tools increases and reactivity decreases.

Knowing these 5 stages will reassure you; normalize this process; and give you a clear sense of what you can expect next.

It will also give you an opportunity to study the stages ahead of you and ask yourself how you might arrive there more calmly and efficiently. 

An important note

When people don’t re-enroll in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, it’s usually if they’re in Stage 1 or Stage 3. 

In Stage 1, the predominant belief is that this isn’t working (so you need to find another process that does work).

In Stage 3, the belief is that it already worked (so you don’t need to continue). 

If you’re in either of these stages, please reach out; I’d love to talk you through how I see it.

Here are the 5 stages of project finishing:

STAGE ONE:

You’re hyper-focused on your perceived fails and challenges; not your wins. (Even when I point out your wins, you can’t accept them.) 

You mentally disengage from the program; you consider dropping out.  

You have a backlog of projects or tasks that actively weighs you down daily. 

You don’t make a project plan or you overblow the scope of your project plan by a lot, in a rush to get it done. 

You genuinely believe that you need a finished project in order to feel okay about yourself; you don’t deserve to feel good until then. 

You miss homework assignments or skip calls, and don’t respond to my homework feedback. 

You spend a significant amount of time feeling or expressing resistance to the process. 

You’re trying to operate well above 100% mental and emotional capacity, so you’re always exhausted. 

You have intense resistance to the idea of feelings, or are very confused about what you’re feeling at any given time. 

You spend a lot of time blaming yourself, other people (family, clients, boss, employees), me, and the process for your lack of results. 

STAGE TWO: 

You have a broad, recurring thought that consistently derails you: “I don’t have time,” “I’m a procrastinator,” “I’m a perfectionist,” etc. 

You adopt some of the tools; you either resist or feel overwhelmed by the rest.

You give some level of responsibility to the material and process to get you results; vs being in total non-judgmental self-responsibility.

You do have a project plan; you still second-guess and question it often. 

You’re doing most of your homework, you’re getting in-completes here and there. 

You listen deeply, and sometimes still struggle to apply the coaching that I give others to yourself. 

Your brain automatically goes to your fails first, but you’re starting to look at your wins more and more.

You have a recurring thought of “I’m not getting this” but you’re building your awareness of where that thought leads. 

You have a basic understanding of what you’re feeling at any given moment. 

You have a strong “why” but you question it often.  

There’s a disconnect between what you say you’re committed to vs what your results show. 

STAGE THREE:

You’re adopting more of the tools, and are starting to believe that it’s okay to take them one at a time if you need to. 

You’re getting stronger at self-evaluations; you’re able to see what needs to change. 

You’re actively resolving your backlogs. 

You’re beginning to drop anything that puts you above 100% capacity. 

You’re starting to set and uphold boundaries. 

You’re starting to let it sink in that you can choose how you feel about yourself and your work, regardless of what you have or haven’t done. 

You’re doing your homework and actively engaging with my feedback. 

You’re getting more efficient at bouncing back when things go off course. 

You’re looking at the recurring patterns that take you off track and proactively spending time and energy to prioritize and resolve them.  

Pinpointing and naming your feelings, and understanding where they lead you, is becoming more natural. 

You’re showing up more than ever—but not always from feelings that you love. (You’re still white-knuckling some.) 

STAGE FOUR:

You’re able to take any coaching from others, and apply it to yourself and your situation. 

You’re learning how to take on more than one project at a time, while not going above 100% capacity. 

You have grown your 100% capacity beyond what it was before (your ability to focus, the value you’re able to produce in each deep work session, the amount of challenging work you take on, etc.)—while remaining grounded and calm. 

Your self-evaluations are rock-solid and you’re able to give yourself valuable insights with each one. 

You find yourself naturally applying these skill sets (knowing your result; reverse-engineering; proactively finding obstacles and strategies, doing self-inquiry) easily and automatically to all areas of your life. 

Your predominant thought is “This works” when thinking about the process. 

You’re actively looking for ways to outsmart the process, now that you’ve nailed it. 

You understand your feelings, you process through your negative ones more effectively, and you generate productive ones more easily. (Joy, pride, commitment, and inspired are more and more common for you.) 

Your first instinct when you get off track is to head to the troubleshooting process and work through it. 

STAGE FIVE:

You actively celebrate your wins.

You operate evenly at 100% capacity, ebbing and flowing based on your desires. 

You’re comfortably managing more than one project at a time. 

Your default is now to hold yourself in high regard, even when you fail or experience negative emotions. 

Your focus is now on increasing the value that you produce while working, using the 4x Value Concept. 

You self-rate as an 8 or above on all three of the skill sets: Deep work, Monday Hour One, project planning. 

You decide what projects to take on based on what would be the most fun, interesting, or rewarding to take on. 

You truly believe that you can make any decision work for you. 

You seek out big challenges that scare you. 

You love working—even when it’s hard. 

P.S. If you are solidly in Stage 4 or 5, I would LOVE to do a case study with you. Please shoot me an email!

Ready to re-enroll in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher? 

Click here to get started with Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.

I’m going to make a bold claim: Investing in your brain is the single best investment that you can make in your life and business. 

There is no other investment that can offer 10x returns, with little to no risk. (Seriously, a stock broker would laugh you out of their office if you asked about a stock that offers this.) 

But coaching can, because it’s designed to help you stretch your thinking in order to create more value in your business, learn to guarantee yourself your desired results, and compel you into productive, efficient action. 

And it starts with one finished project, where you confront your time- and energy-wasting habits and make yourself more efficient, effective, and valuable in your business. 

If you’re not interested in making the investment in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE right now and are totally onboard with your decision, I look forward to working with you in the future. These exercises will be super valuable for you in the meantime. 

And if you want to be a yes for Half-Finished to Done, LIVE but are experiencing doubts and fears, these exercises will help you immediately. 

Let’s start by understanding the problem and the solution: 

The problem: You might have $1,000 for the program investment and feel reluctant to part with it, or you might not have the money on hand currently. 

Either way, when you think of investing $1,000 into coaching, it feels daunting or risky. 

Your brain is focused on the downside of investing ($1,000), rather than the potential upside (thousands of extra dollars in your business, hours saved, panic, stress, overwhelm reduced). 

This downside is magnified if you’ve invested in a program or course in the past and feel like you didn’t get your money’s worth.  

The solution: One of the most empowering skill sets that you can learn as a business owner is to guarantee yourself an incredible return on your investments into your brain…no matter what. 

The benefit of this is that you’ll never say no to a program or course that you truly want, out of fear or doubt, because you’ll know that you’re going to get your money’s worth (and then some).

And the even bigger benefit: The ability to guarantee yourself an ROI on your investments is the same skill set that you use to guarantee yourself anything—like a finished project. It requires you to align your thoughts, feelings, and actions to your desired result. 

The following exercises are designed to help you become the business owner who channels resourcefulness in order to get what they came for, in any situation.

10x your investment

This exercise is designed to show you new ways of problem solving beyond your default thinking, keep your brain on one task until you have a compelling solution, and show you the exact areas where you’re feeling uncertain. 

Start here: If you were to guarantee yourself a 10x ROI on your Half-Finished to Done, LIVE investment, how would you do it? This means you’re responsible for generating $10,000 by applying what you learn in the program. 

Here are some fun questions to guide you: What is the single most impactful project that you could work on in your business to generate 10k? 

What is the easiest way that you could make 10k? 

How could you create 10k by using the 3 skill sets of Half-Finished to Done, LIVE (deep work, Monday Hour One, project planning) over the next year?

If you get stumped, add this fun twist: If Oprah walked into your house and offered you two million dollars, no strings attached, if you created $10,000 using the principles from Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, how would you make it happen? 

Notice any time your brain wants to tell you, “Well, I can’t guarantee that,” and respond back with, “Okay. What can I guarantee?” 

Do this exercise until you feel certainty about your ability to generate 10k. 

Opportunity cost 

In order to sell yourself on the value of solving a problem, you must first understand how much that problem is costing you.

Think of an average day, week, and month, and take inventory of how much time you spend in low-value activities, like: 

• Unfulfilling, soul-sucking procrastination.
• Internal conflict and arguing with yourself.
• Second guessing yourself.
• Fiddling with your schedule to try and make it “productive” and “right.” 
• Tweaking and refining things to find elusive “perfection.”
• Shame spiraling.
• Spinning out in confusion, self-pity, and self-doubt.

How much time, energy, and money are these low-value activities costing you? Put a real dollar amount to them, even if it’s just a guesstimate. 

Now, think about doubling the amount of time that you spend doing high-value activities, like:

• Creative thinking and brainstorming.
• Experimenting and gathering data.
• Executing on focused work blocks.
• Making Intentional, deliberate decisions.
• Re-affirming decisions that you’ve already made.
• Self-evaluating from a place of curiosity and openness.
• Rejuvenating rest.
• Playing.

Is reducing your low-value activities by 50% and doubling your high-value activities worth $1,000 to you? Why or why not?

Breakeven 

Let’s say that for some crazy reason, you decide not to make a 10x financial ROI. How would a 10x improvement in your quality of life be worth $1,000 to you? 

Think: Reducing the intensity and length of emotions like stress, overwhelm, fear, doubt, confusion, apathy, and panic, and doubling feelings like courage, motivation, focus, inspiration, dedication, resourcefulness, and calm.

Think about this in terms of an average day, an average week, an 8-week project sprint, and longer-term, in the next 1-3 years.  

How would the way you show up change as your feelings change? 

Absolute yes

Think of something that you would pay $1,000 for, no questions asked. It might be a different program or course, your kid’s summer camp, the newest iPhone, a medical procedure, or a vacation. 

Now, jot down your thoughts about that thing. What would you be thinking that would make you certain that it’s a no-brainer investment? 

You might have thoughts like:

• This is so worth it
• I need this
• I’ll get back way more than I invest
• They deserve it
• I’ll get so much value from this over time 
• I’m going to find the money, one way or another 

What would it be like to adopt those same thoughts about yourself in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE—and then prove yourself right? 

Peace with the past 

This exercise is all about revisiting your past investments, and making peace with them. Because if you understand and make peace with the past, you’re more likely to invest thoughtfully and peacefully in the future.

Think back to a specific program or course that you took that you consider a waste. How much did it cost?

Try on the thought “It was worth exactly what I paid,” then list 10 ways that thought could be true. This will require you to sell yourself on why the lessons you learned were so valuable. 

Once you have your list of 10 reasons it’s true that you got your money’s worth, ask yourself, “Knowing what I know now, what would I have done differently in that program or course?” 

This last question is a way to self-evaluate with curiosity, instead of judgment or resentment. 

After you do these exercises, I encourage you to reach out to me and share what you discovered! 

P.S. Here’s a piece on the concept of “brain investments,” and a real-life renewal conversation that I had with a client.

Ready to enroll in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher? 

Click here to get started with Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.

Project finishing requires just 3 skill sets:

• Deep work (how to plan and execute for one hour)
• Monday Hour One (how to plan and execute for one week)
• Project planning (how to plan and execute for 8 weeks)

Imagine that you felt 10/10 confidence in all 3 of these skill sets.

Here’s what this might look like for you:

• You generate productive feelings on demand, so you actually enjoy the process of getting things done (bring on the joy and intrinsic motivation)
• You know that when something is on your calendar, it’s as good as done, so you can fully relax when you have white space (this is true downtime)
• You maximize your free time, so you’re more fulfilled, relaxed, and creative when you show up for work—and you know how to channel all of this into incredible work product
• You acknowledge and move through negative emotions more quickly, so they don’t spin you out into procrastination
• You blow your mind with the level of self-compassion you’re able to feel for yourself when you feel crappy—and you still follow through
• You can focus on demand, so you feel the sweet satisfaction of being in flow more often
• You genuinely enjoy being with your brain, coming up with new ideas, concepts, and strategies, so you carve out more deep work time to ideate
• You repeatedly work to deepen your understanding of these 3 skills sets, so you’re no longer chasing productivity hacks and tricks
• You learn to give yourself a realistic amount of work, so your level of self-trust and self-respect increases exponentially
• You develop discernment and resilience, to know when to stick with your plan and when to pivot
• You push yourself just the right amount, so you’re never left wondering if you’re reaching your potential or not
• You’re awed at your own growing, evolving capacity, so you take on bigger, more challenging opportunities
• Your level of tenacity, grittiness, and resourcefulness is at unprecedented levels

Pause to really imagine your life at 10/10 confidence with all 3 of these skill sets.

Is there anything else that I didn’t include above that would compel you to keep building these 3 skill sets?

And with your newfound 10/10 confidence, what else would be possible for you?

What else would you dare to put on your calendar?

That special project that’s been on your mind for years? A macaron making class? A trip with your kids to Harry Potter World? A two-week camping trip? Time to start outlining that book? A daily bath and reading time? More time to just be with your partner? A set launch date for your new program?

The quickest, most efficient way to get to your 10/10 vision is to enlist help.

That help is inside Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, my coaching program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher.

With my help, you’ll move through obstacles faster, shorten your learning curve, and spend more time living in your new 10/10 reality.

Click here to get started today. (Seriously, don’t delay taking action; you deserve your 10/10 vision now.)

Can’t wait to work with you.

Once people start mastering the skill sets that I teach, it hits them just how much time they’ve been wasting.

By spinning out on what to work on next.

By walking away when it gets hard, tedious, or frustrating.

By letting themselves get distracted by the internet, their partner, or the news.

By being blindsided by things they could have anticipated, and letting these bumps derail their whole day.

By trying to multi-task, when science says that’s not even a thing.

By trying to balance multiple projects at once, and doing each one half-heartedly.

By being constantly responsive to people who aren’t even their most important stakeholders.

By stalling on their to-do lists, because they find the tasks boring.

By using their downtime to worry about work, ensuring that it’s neither refreshing nor rejuvenating.

All of this low-quality time just prolongs how long it takes you to get to a finished result.

When you acknowledge how much time you’ve wasted, you have two choices: You can use this information to feel worse, which inevitably perpetuates the exact cycle you’re trying to escape.

Or you can use it as a powerful wake-up call.

An opportunity to stop tolerating these habits in yourself.

Once you decide to draw a line in the sand and change these habits, you can start selling yourself hard on all of the opportunity cost you’re about to reclaim.

Because if you left time on the table before, then it stands to reason that there’s time on the table for you to claim now.

Through a 60-minute deep work session, executed with focus and value in mind—no distractions.

Through a weekly Monday Hour One schedule, planned with your most important results in mind—all non-essentials eliminated.

Through an 8-week project sprint, with one concrete, important goal as your primary focus—no more dabbling.

Deep work, Monday Hour One, and project planning—these are the only 3 skills that you need to become a life-long project finisher.

Multiply them day over day, month over month, and you’ll be stunned at the time (and energy and money) you’ll reclaim along the way.

The quickest, most efficient way to master these 3 skills is to enlist help.

That help is inside Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, my coaching program for those who want to start enjoying life as a project finisher.

To get started today, click here.

Don’t delay taking action; you deserve all of that reclaimed time, money, and energy now.

Can’t wait to work with you! 

Someone recently told me “You have the most renewable brand I’ve ever heard of” after I told her about my program, Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.

Let’s focus in on the word “renewable.”

What she meant is that it’s a no-brainer for my clients to go through the program multiple times, uncovering and applying more of their own wisdom each time with each new projects.

I couldn’t agree more.

But there’s another way to explore the term renewable: “a source of energy that is not depleted by use.”

Project finishing skills are a renewable resource. Not only does effective, sustainable project management not deplete you; it energizes you.

You learn to renew your energy levels with true downtime that rejuvenates you.

You learn to research and build new skill sets from desire, not urgency or inadequacy.

You learn to schedule in a way that matches and amplifies your natural energy ebbs and flows.

You learn to find the sweet spot of challenging yourself on the scope and effort level of your project, without setting yourself up for failure by overdoing it.

You learn to study your wins, unearthing your most energizing, productive thoughts and feelings, so that you can lean into them on demand.

Being a project finisher can feel energizing; not exhausting or demoralizing.

So, if you’re not feeling energized by the prospect of taking on a new project, it’s an indicator that it might be time for us to work together. 

The only place that I work with clients is in Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher.

Can’t wait to work with you! 

A few weeks ago, I met one of my mentors. I’ve been absorbing her concepts for two years now, and didn’t think I would have a chance to meet her in person, in a small group setting.

And when I did, I wasn’t sure if it would live up to my expectations.

Suffice it to say, it far exceeded them.

I left her house wrapped in what I like to call the warm bubble of possibility.

It’s this wild, mellow-but-excited, confident knowing that anything is possible.

Not just for me, but for everyone.

I wanted to text every friend, client, and family member and say: “Just so you know? All of your dreams are going to come true.”

I didn’t, because I didn’t want to seem crazy…but I wish I had.

So I’m taking this opportunity to tell you: Just so you know? All of your dreams are going to come true.

The dreams that you’re afraid to tell your friends and partner, because you haven’t followed through so many times in the past.

That pesky little idea that won’t seem to leave you alone.

The dreams that you can’t say out loud, because they’re not “realistic.” (Eff realistic.)

The one you believe in, somewhere deep in your heart, even though you have absolutely no evidence that you can bring it to fruition.

You have dreams, and I have an expertise in helping people—even life-long procrastinators—bring their dreams from half-finished to done, one project at a time.

Let’s combine our skill sets and visions, so you can step into the warm bubble of possibility.

It’s all inside Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher.

Click here to learn more about Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.

I’ll be waiting in the warm bubble of possibility for you.

Let’s talk about “brain investments.”

Brain investments are investing time, money, and energy into something that increases your ability to manage your mind, and expand its value.

Brain investments are the most valuable investments that you can make in your business and life, because your brain is ultimately what produces more money, energy, and time for you.

Coaching is the perfect example of a brain investment.

Making a brain investment in coaching changes you.

It makes you feel confident, resourceful, proactive, deliberate, and self-assured.

And those are the exact feelings that propel you into productive action.

(Versus fear, doubt, skepticism, guilt, panic, and regret.)

So, enrolling in my program, Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, might seem scary.

The very reason you might be reluctant to invest in the program—for fear that you won’t make the most of it or won’t take enough action to justify the time and money investment—is actually often solved just by enrolling.

By making a brain investment, you invite yourself to step into a new identity—the self-concept of a project finisher, who invests readily in their brain—and then you start showing up accordingly.

Ready? Then it’s time to join Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher.

And—if you’d like to see this concept in action, take a look at this awesome renewal convo I had with a client recently:

Me: Love working with you. Want to join another round of Half-Finished to Done, LIVE?

Client: Is there a discount for returning clients?

Me: Nope.

Client: Hm, okay. Maybe that’s a good thing, because it will really require me to work to make my money back.

Me: Yup! On scale of 1-10, how interested are you in re-joining?

Client: A 7. *talks out loud for a bit* Okay, an 8.

Me: Great! Do you want to be a 10/10?

Client: Yeah!

Me: What would it require of you to be a 10/10, ready to go?

Wait. Let’s up the ante a bit. Instead of a 10/10 for just making your investment back, what if you committed to a 10x return on the investment?

Client: *Freaks out for a second then gets to work brainstorming and comes up with a totally doable plan for getting a 10x ROI that stretches her just the right amount.*

All this to say:

• Investing in your brain can come from joy and delight, not fear.
• When you make a brain investment, you ask yourself to stretch in doable ways.
• Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to walk your brain to a yes.

It’s all inside Half-Finished to Done, LIVE, the program for those who want to master a sustainable, fun, repeatable project process and start enjoying life as a project finisher.

Click here to learn more about Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.