Breaking Free of CSD - Mental 2

"Better no start, but if start, better finish" - Chinese proverb

I've just spent a good few minutes fiddling with my cables and router. I had no internet connection (not a good way to start the day), and so had to go through the sequence of diagnostic checks. "Check the cables, check the router etc" I got there in the end, but the process took longer than I had anticipated. In fact, the solution was reboot the router, which should have been obvious in retrospect -dohh! But still, I now have that warm feeling of accomplishment and completion :-).

This brings us to the second of the mental blocks to flow - Incompletion. You start something and do not finish it. So even though you may be consciously focused on something else, this incomplete task, conversation or analysis is carrying on in your mind, taking up space and resources. It is unconscious clutter. You know deep down that there is stuff to be completed, and as the number of incomplete "projects" increases, so does the clutter in your mind and so does your CSD virus. And these don't even have to be critically important projects - again it is the programming of your mind: "I don't finish what I start".

So how do we address this.There are many tasks that are not worth finishing (e.g. some TV programmes :-). In that case, as the Chinese proverb goes, "better no start". I guess the key is that the clutter is mental, which automatically means that it is an internal process. Is it sometimes possible to complete something without actually seeing the task through? Is termination a form of completion? Or is that simply giving up? What's the difference? The key is the residual clutter in your mind. Even if you finish a task (externally), but you keep thinking about it ("I probably should do this as well, maybe I should have changed that, I'm not sure about that part" etc), do you really have completion? If you don't finish a task (externally) but decide that it is not worth investing your time and energy into, and terminate it; are you going to have much residual mental clutter about this?

Incompletion ultimately occurs in the mind, the extent to which the task continues to occupy space and resource. Now, this is very strongly influenced by the external reality (did you actually complete the task?) but is also affected by your decisions (e.g. clear termination). Where flow gets blocked by incompletion is where there is no clear decision to terminate but instead the task just doesn't get completed. This is a symptom of our old friend neglect.

OK, so what to do. Well, firstly, write down your "projects" rather than carrying them round in your head. That keeps them in view and will avoid inadvertent incompletion. You also want to evaluate the value of each one, making a decison on each (e.g. Do it or Dump it). Then you can use your integrity muscle (we covered that yesterday) to drive forward to completion on those projects that you want to do. Those you want to dump, you dump and dump completely - write a dumping letter if you must :-). But dump them with a clear conscience.
If it helps, consider this:

"Saying no is easy, when there is a bigger yes crying out" - Stephen Covey

Dumping projects frees up mental space and resources for the more important ones.

So, decision-making will play some part in this. And these decisions must be aligned with your vision for your life, if you have one.

Till tomorrow.