The Art of Finishing Projects

Introduction: Alice Neel's Artistic Philosophy

• Alice Neel was an artist focused on capturing the imperfect world around her.
• She often asked neighbors to let her paint their portraits, leading to various interesting outcomes.

Notable Event: James Hunter's Portrait

• In 1965, Alice approached James Hunter for a portrait.
• James was upset because he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
• Portrait remained unfinished when James disappeared after their first session.

The Speaker's Personal Journey

• Name: Cam
• Age Transitions: Young Cam vs. 31-year-old Cam

Unfinished Projects

• Numerous unfinished projects including:
  • Van life project
  • Brewing beer
  • Touring bike journey across Central Asia
  • Various bands and comic books
  • Unedited documentary filmed in Asia

Completed Projects at 31

• A complete book
• YouTube videos
• Comics, podcasts, apparel

Part One: The Harsh Truth

• Key Realization: Body of work is only as good as the number of projects finished.
• Mentor's Advice: Focus on finishing one thing every day; leads to increased productivity and sense of purpose.

Part Two: Why We Stop

• Common Reasons for Not Finishing:
  • Lack of self-belief
  • Ideas shifting excitement
  • Lack of grit
  • Fear of judgment
  • Project becomes a slog

Writer Michael Lopp's Graph

• X-axis: Time taken
• Y-axis: Joy received
• Excitement fades; end of projects often become long and boring.

Part Three: Write a Bad Book First

• Anne Lamott's Advice: Write two crappy pages a day.
• New Approach: Done is better than perfect.
• Action-Feedback Loop: Focus on quantity over quality (e.g., 15 average choruses instead of a perfect one).
  • Action leads to an outcome, which leads to assessment and refinement.

Part Four: Perfectionism and Self-Worth

• Quote by Anne Lamott: Perfectionism as a survival mechanism.
• Limiting Beliefs:
  • Perfectionism
  • Self-worth tied to work produced
• Impacts: Social media metrics, self-comparison, cultural expectations.

Practical Approach

• Detaching self-worth from work quality.
• Creating non-achievement-based goals.

Part Five: Using Hacks to Finish Projects

• Rewards: Strict reward systems for task completion.
• Distraction Detoxes: Limiting distractions to boost focus.
• Deadlines: Creating artificial deadlines for a sense of urgency.
• Accountability Partners: Outsourcing accountability to friends/mentors.
• Finish Small Tasks: Strengthening the finishing muscle.
• Motivational Kick: Prove naysayers wrong.
• Trust the Process: Rely on the journey, even when projects look ugly midway.
• Visualization Exercise: Envision the joy of a finished project.

Conclusion: Finishing is Finding a Balanced Perspective

• Alice Neel's Lesson: Unfinished work can still be remarkable and impactful.
• Key takeaway: Perfectionism obstructs project completion.

Sponsor: Shopify

• Acknowledgement of Shopify's support in the speaker's ecommerce journey.
• Benefits of using Shopify for small business owners.