None of us like to be called a quitter. But there are things that we must finish, and some others that we don’t have to.
It is important to know where each thing sits, to avoid to spend too much time and get anxious about the ones that are optional.
It is nice to finish every project that we start, but there are occasions when abandoning something creates more value (destroys less!) than the sunk costs of the time we have invested in them.
If it still supports your objectives, by all means, you should finish that degree, file your taxes, complete that budget, and get the project to completion and invoice it. You should also take all 10 pills that the doctor prescribed, and do just that last rep at the gym.
But you don’t need to finish all books that started or watch every film all the way to the credits. You can also leave half of your plate, and you should definitely not try to finish that 18-year aged scotch in one sitting.
Then there are things that are not that obvious, that kinda sit in the middle, and that require a more nuanced decision making. For me, it helps to set those decision points up front. “I’m done if ….”.
Knowing where each thing falls leads to more satisfaction.