Kit Merker
Published Sep 14, 2015
When I work on a project, any project really, I turn into 3 different people. The first person is The Starter who is full of energy and ideas. The Starter sees only possibilities and limitless options. Inevitably reality weighs in and I become The Slacker: disinterested, distracted, and procrastination becomes my main output. Then at some point I turn into the ruthless Closer who is task oriented, cuts unnecessary clutter, and gets stuff done.
Proponents of productivity might argue that the Closer is really the "best" person because he is getting things done! Accomplishments! Progress! However, I've found that if I start my project this way it doesn't get started. It becomes all about planning and not about the best ideas. Every discussion needs specific action items, every list needs checking. But ask the question - what are we really doing? Why are we here? What would be amazing? And The Starter becomes the key player.
The Slacker character is the worst by all counts. Gets nothing done, shirks responsibility, has no good ideas. All he's good for is snark, cynicism and cat videos. Why do I get so bored in the middle of a project? Why do I wish I'd never started it in the first place and everyone can just go away?
To deal with The Slacker, my natural urge is go be The Starter again. I want to go find something new that sparks my interest. Forget those commitments I made; they'll understand. This might be why I start more things than I can finish (I believe it's called "failing fast").
So I have to break the urge and become The Closer. It takes recognizing the pattern to break out of Slackerness and move to Closerness. And Closing is insanely fun. I love closing out tasks, making final decisions, checking the lists, and smiling at accomplishments. Inevitably, someone joined the project late and wants to be a Starter all over again. Nope. Closing time.
After The Closer, I can go back to being The Slacker to conserve energy while I look for something for The Starter to do.
Let me ask you this: where are you with your project right now?