Have you ever started a new project with enthusiasm and gusto, just to have your motivation and energy tail off leaving you with a half done project and nothing left in the tank to finish it?
Do you find yourself thinking… “If I could just…” and then getting frustrated that for some reason, no, you can’t ‘just…’?
Firstly, let me tell you that you are not alone. Secondly, this isn’t laziness or lack of ambition – you’re already a business leader, you’ve started your business from nothing which takes a heck of a lot, now we can look at a different strategy to get you moving in the right direction.
I have first hand experience of this; of these feelings; of the frustration. I feel in a fortunate position that I’m more aware of why this is, and I’m working with my brain to make things happen in life, business and beyond. We can do this together.
Follow Through… What Follow Through?
Planning and starting a project is exciting, right? You know what you want the outcome to be, you know what achieving that outcome will give you (additional clients, satisfaction, increased profit for starters) and you want that. You need that. But once you’re started the project, finishing it is a whole different story. At that point you could well be feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, guilty, disappointed… As I’ve already mentioned, you’re not lazy. Take a moment to recognise how far you have already come. You are not lazy. So why is it tricky to follow through? Take a look at the list below and see if any of these resonate:
🧠 Decision fatigue
You’ve made so many choices already — in work, at home, for others — that by the time you get to your project, you’re mentally drained. Even small decisions feel like too much.
⏳ Time blindness
You misjudge how long things will take. Either you think you’ve got loads of time and put it off, or you assume it’ll take so long that you never get started.
🌀 Mental overload
Too many open tabs. You’re holding ideas, reminders, plans, and worries all in your head at once; too much for one brain to juggle right there.
🎯 Perfectionism
You want it to be just right — which means you keep tweaking, delaying, or waiting for the “right time”… and sometimes never actually finish.
❓ Lack of clarity
You don’t have a clear next step, so you stall. It’s not that you don’t want to continue — it’s that you’re not quite sure how.
📦 No structure
Without a framework or system to support you, everything sits on your shoulders — and that’s exhausting.
If you’re nodding along to any of these, know that you’re not alone — and you’re not broken. There are ways to work with your brain to make follow-through more doable (and even enjoyable).
What Can We Do About it?
I’m glad you asked! These might seem like insurmountable problems right now, but there are strategies that you can use to make sure that you keep moving forward in your project. That ensures that you reach the end.
Break It Down
Even the biggest of projects can be broken down into manageable, bite sized tasks. You start with one small task, then another and another. These small steps all get you in the right direction and the more you take, the easier it is to carry on.
How you break it down is up to you. Mind mapping works for some, getting everything out onto a page in a chaotic messy way, which can be translated into an organised and actionable plan. Harness the power of tech, and ask ChatGPT how you can break it down, or put all the tasks you’ve got in there and ask it to help you with a plan. Write all the small tasks on post it notes and work through them in order, throwing each one away as it’s complete.
Visually Track Your Progress
When you’re taking small steps, it can be hard to see the progress when you’re involved with the details. If you have a way where you can see how far you’ve already come, it will help keep you motivated and ready to keep moving.
Again, how you do this is individual. A to-do list that you tick off, seeing tasks marked off in a project management tool like Asana, creating a visual progress bar. You’re externalising the progress, getting it out of your head and clear to see.
The 5-Minute Commitment
There are lots of time management techniques out there, and many will help you progress with projects, however in this scenario, where we’re talking about the inability to follow through with a plan, this is one of my favourites.
When you have your list of tasks, take the current or next one and commit to doing just 5 minute on it. 5 minutes – that’s not much time at all is it? It takes longer than that to drink a cup of coffee. It might not sound effective, but committing to starting for only 5 minutes bypasses your brain’s resistance; it gets the ball rolling. Sometimes the hardest part is started – but 5 minutes is manageable. I’ve got to address the fact that 5 minutes won’t usually be long enough to complete the task. There are a couple of things that will happen… once you start, you’ll find that you get into it and just carry on going past the original 5 minutes. Result ✔️ When you do this regularly, for example 5 minutes each day, it will add up. Result ✔️
If you’re worrying that this means it will take you a long time to complete the task or project, consider the alternative. 5 minutes progress each day reaching your goal slowly vs 0 progress and never reaching your goal. I know which I would and do choose.
Celebrate 🥳
Celebrating all the wins, even the tiny ones, is motivational. All of these tips come together to allow you to celebrate more – and who doesn’t want more celebration in their life?! Once you’ve broken the project down, completing each small tasks is a win. When you complete each 5 minutes, it’s a win. Don’t wait until you reach the overall goal, celebrate each step of the way.
You’ve Got This
If this all sounds familiar, I hope you’re walking away with a little more clarity and a few new ideas to try. You don’t need to overhaul everything or magically become “better” at follow-through overnight. You just need your next small step — and the one after that.
So, what could you do today? What tiny action would move you forward, even just a little? Start there. Then celebrate that you’ve started. Because that is progress.