# just finish Sometimes it is hard to [[just start|get started]] and sometimes it is just as hard to finish a project. You can spend forever [[play|playing]] and exploring ideas because creating different possibilities is the fun part of design. At a certain point, though, you need to make decisions and commit to a solution. ## limited time Clients are not going to give you an infinite amount of time for you to explore design ideas to come up with the _**perfect**_ solution. So you do the best you can in the time you have. It helps to build a project plan so you know how much design time you have. Be sure to leave time for production so that you can actually complete the deliverables. ## limited attention span It is fun to get caught up in a project and get lost in the design process. We all know the excitement that comes from being in the [[flow]] where ideas and directions seem to magically appear out of nowhere. That joy of design is what keeps us going as designers. However, that magic doesn't last. Our energy drains or we run into problems we're not sure how to solve. New projects and challenges capture our attention. Sometimes simply [[take a break|taking a break]] is enough for the magic to fade. ## getting it done can be hard When the time or energy runs down, you have to decide if you want to commit to finishing the work. If you are doing this for yourself, it is easy to accept incomplete projects since you are just playing around. If you are working for a client then you need to get it done. This can be difficult, especially if you aren't happy with the solutions you've come up with so far. Sometimes you aren't ready to commit to just one solution because they all have potential. Maybe you are uncertain as to what the correct solution should be. Maybe you want to have a perfect solution. Sometimes, it is just that the technical work needed to clean up and refine a deliverable seems like boring busywork. There are plenty of reasons why [[procrastination]] happens at the end of a project just as often as at the start. ## just get it done I wish there was an easy answer for how to make that switch from creative exploration to final production. The solutions vary from person to person and project to project. It is just as situational as every other part of the creative process. ![[471a36551431429dac747998d25e9ba4_MD5.jpeg]] Sheer panic at looming deadlines is usually a good impetus for getting to work. Of course, that isn't a good long-term workflow sort of solution. The fear and anxiety that panic instills can be a good negative reinforcement for future projects. Accept [[imperfection]] to get past decision paralysis. As Sheryl Sandberg says "Done is better than perfect." > Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly. > > — Robert H. Schuller You can [[change your location]] or [[take a break]] to switch up your mindset. Completing the work has a different kind of satisfaction. Joy in focusing on details and crossing-off items that need to be done. ## [[iteration]] as part of the process With time and experience, you naturally get better at finishing the work. You learn how to make that transition from exploring ideas to finishing details. Even better, you learn how long it takes for you to complete different portions of a creative project so you can plan how much creative exploration time and production time you can allot. --- tags: #creativity #process home: [[! creative process]]