The Grasshopper had this to say this morning, “The biggest bugaboo is follow-through.”

It didn’t take me too long to realize he was referring to us starting but not completing.

Some folks are perpetual starters. They get a creative notion but it doesn’t take form due to a lack of motion.

In order to get through to the other side, it’s helpful to follow this practice: Master the foothills before you attempt to scale the mountain.

We’ve become a shortcut society. Everything is wanted by yesterday. The seeking of shortcuts becomes our shortfall because we use so much of our time looking for ways to avoid the work that’s necessary for completion to take place.

I remember my friend Paul interviewing the author of the famous “Spenser” books, Robert B. Parker. When asked about the daunting task of writing books (a mountain if there ever was one), he said something like this: “I set aside two hours each morning to write. Some mornings I write a sentence or two in that time frame. Other days, I can’t stop writing and go past the scheduled time.” The point being that he set the time for work and adhered to that practice.

So, to put a finishing touch on The Grasshopper’s musing, you’re guaranteed to be more productive if you follow Robert B. Parker’s example. To use a manufacturing term, It will keep your “throughput” from going kaput.

All the best,

John

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