By: Jeff Davidson

As a dedicated career professional who seeks to get things done, to become known for one’s accomplishments, and perhaps be cited as a high achiever, it is vitally important to take control of your environment, minimize interruptions, associate with other get-it-done types, and embrace the notion of “completion-thinking.” As you look around your office, what strikes you as having been left incomplete?

• Are piles building up in corners around the room?
• Are post-it pads serving as proxy to-do list items adorning your desk and computer monitor?
• Do you have stacks of unopened mail?
• Is your message light blinking?

You can extend these same types of observations to your home as well as many other aspects of your life. When you’re entirely honest with yourself, chances are you find that there are visible signs of incompletions all around you. It’s not mandatory to be in total control of your work space, but it helps.

Your Incompletions, Your Career

Considering the larger picture, what is incomplete in your career? Are there key instructions, an agenda, a road map, a blueprint or an action map of some sort that you know is valid and appropriate with which you have yet to take action?

• Are there vital courses that you need to be taking?
• Are there key contacts within your industry with whom you haven’t initiated contact?
• Are there other initiatives you have in mind that you let sit for years?

Of course there are! Each item represents an incompletion. Fortunately, the path to completions, big and small, is to keep acknowledging yourself whenever you do indeed complete something. As we’ll discuss in the next chapter, your brain can’t tell the difference between something as small as sending out a letter versus completing a major training session. By acknowledging yourself for the smaller completions, you actually pave the way for greater and grander completions. The brain appreciates closure.