Bridges work to get people from one side of something to another.
But they only work if they are 100% finished.
A bridge which is 99% finished doesn’t help you get anywhere. There is still a gap which needs to be overcome before it provides any value.
In fact, one single bridge which is 100% complete is more valuable than a thousand bridges which are 99% complete
The same is true of many people’s creative projects, and companies’ innovation projects.
Often, people start building creative projects, but before they are complete, they get distracted by something else and begin working on something new.
Companies often have huge lists of innovation projects which are all “In Progress”, because none of them have enough resources to make continual progress.
And Entrepreneurs often get distracted by all manner of things they could be doing to grow their business, especially when it comes to all of the types of marketing and branding work that “experts” advise you should be doing (“write articles / start a podcast / do videos / develop an app / redesign your logo / write a book…”).
There are many reasons for this, but one of the major ones is that the further these bridges are built, the further away from the safety of the shoreline where you started you become. This distance can become more and more scary, especially when the bridge may wobble while it is still being constructed, and many people want to rush back the stability of the stable ground they started at. Finally, when the bridge gets closer and closer to the other shoreline you are trying to reach, many people may begin asking themselves what might encounter them at the other side of the new bridge.
All of these lead many people and teams to abandon their projects in the middle, or even as they approach the final parts, because they feel like they aren’t ready. They would feel more comfortable starting a new bridge than finally finishing the one they are currently on.
Another problem is that we as humans just cannot multitask. There is a huge amount of productivity lost every time you need to switch tasks.
As a result, far too many creative and innovative projects never are completed.
They never end up being seen by the market, and therefore never can provide any value.
Essentially, too many projects end up as unfinished bridges.
Sometimes, it is more effective to stick with building out a project, even if you feel some anxiety about what might happen when it is finished.
But it will undoubtedly deliver more value than a bridge which remains unfinished.
Which bridges are you committed to finishing?
Nick Skillicorn
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Just last Monday night, my father invited me over for dinner where we had a conversation on development bridges. He was gathering some information for a friend and that’s why he needed my help with some online research. I did some research and was lucky to have came across your very informative post here. I am most fond of where you mentioned when the bridge gets closer and closer to the other shoreline you are trying to reach, many people may begin asking themselves what might encounter them at the other side of the new bridge. Anyone interested in the construction of bridges will sure to be glad to have heard of this point here. Thank you for this! I’ll be sure to send this over to my father in a bit!
This article provides a great reminder about the importance of following through on creative projects. It’s so easy to get discouraged and abandon a project halfway through, but the author makes a compelling point about the value of finishing what we start.
The article also highlights the importance of focus. Spreading yourself too thin across multiple projects can make it difficult to make progress on any of them.
In your experience, what are some of the biggest challenges people face when it comes to following through on creative projects? Do you have any advice to share for overcoming these challenges?