Year-End Success – Finish Strong


We once again look at finishing strong.  Our steady efforts and incremental progress should result in year-end success.  However, there always seems to be a need for that final push.  No matter how well we plan, the final effort to get across the finish line is a staple of completing a project.  This episode is just a little help in cheering you to the end.

Pace Out The Final Mile

We may have missed the mark on our estimation.  However, when we get near the end, it should be easier to estimate what we have left to do.  We also know the days or hours we have left before the end of the year.  That becomes simple math as we can divide the hours we need to work into those remaining.  We can even start today on that work and maybe reduce what we need to do each day by pushing now.  That may even get us across the finish line early.  When that happens, jump for joy and enjoy the well-earned time off.

Lessons Learned From Year-End Success

Whether we are successful or not, we will have learned about ourselves and our ability to achieve goals.  We may have more proof that steady work will pay off.  However, we may have missed our goal and know more about our limits.  For example, we may see the last two months of the year are too busy to maintain the same pace we had in February.  When we plan ahead we can take those seasonal adjustments to our drive into consideration.  There is no need to push ourselves too hard.  We still are human and subject to burnout.

Enjoy Success

One of the greatest joys is a year-end success when it comes early.  We all get that endorphin boost when we complete a goal.  However, getting it done early is even better.  At least in my personal experience.  The rare years where I have my goals met by mid-December or earlier are the best.  If you are fortunate enough to achieve this, then do not fill in the “free time” with more goals.  Revel in your low-stress time and use the positive feeling as an incentive to repeat this in the future.

 

Rob Broadhead

Rob is a founder of, and frequent contributor to, Develpreneur. This includes the Building Better Developers podcast. He is also a lifetime learner as a developer, designer, and manager of software solutions. Rob is the founder of RB Consulting and has managed to author a book about his family experiences and a few about becoming a better developer. In his free time, he stays busy raising five children (although they have grown into adults). When he has a chance to breathe, he is on the ice playing hockey to relax or working on his ballroom dance skills.

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