Books / Sounds True · 2019
Start Finishing
How to Go from Idea to Done
Why don't we do the stuff that really matters to us? Start Finishing answers that question with a nine-step method for converting your best ideas into finished projects — and clearing the head trash, drag points, and competing priorities in the way.
"Start Finishing is a game changer, a modern-day classic that will dramatically change your work. Buy two, one to write in and one to give to someone you care about."
Seth Godin · New York Times bestselling author of This Is MarketingInside the Book
The method, not a pep talk
Ideas don't get finished — projects do. The book walks the full arc: picking the idea that matters most, converting it into a real project, and working the plan through the messy middle to done.
The Air Sandwich
The gap between your big picture and your day-to-day reality — and why your best work keeps falling through it.
The Five Projects Rule
No more than five active projects per time scale. The prioritization discipline the whole method runs on.
Your Success Pack
The four kinds of people to enroll behind a project — guides, peers, supporters, and beneficiaries.
GATES
Your genius, affinities, talents, expertise, and strengths — the fuel a project road map actually runs on.
Focus Blocks
The 90-minute-to-two-hour blocks that power deep work, and how many per week keep you clear of a thrash crash.
The 5/10/15 Split
The daily momentum-planning routine that keeps the project moving inside a real, over-full schedule.
Praise
What people say about it
"His terrific book offers a 9-step program to turn those great ideas into finished products — and your dreams into realities."
Daniel H. Pink · author of Drive and When"A heartfelt hug, bundled with a loving kick in the ass, a masterclass in getting unstuck. Read it, do it, done!"
Jonathan Fields · founder of Good Life Project"Charlie Gilkey is uniquely qualified to solve this problem, and Start Finishing will fundamentally change the creative and entrepreneurial landscapes."
Pamela Slim · author of Body of Work"You don't find the time, you make the time — and Charlie will show you how."
Laura Vanderkam · author of Off the Clock"In one crystal-clear insight after another, the author provides readers with an enormous trove of strategies designed to help them succeed… A powerful and optimistic guide to clearing out the clutter and finishing your best work."
Kirkus ReviewsGo Deeper
The Field Guide & the next book
The Start Finishing Field Guide is the companion workbook — worksheets, illustrations, and the momentum method in practice. And when your projects involve other people, Team Habits picks up where this book leaves off.
Charlie Gilkey is the founder of Productive Flourishing, an Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a near-PhD in philosophy. His work is cited in Inc., Time, Forbes, the Guardian, and Lifehacker. Signed copies are available at the Productive Flourishing store.