I’ve got voice notes and half-built songs that prove your point. It’s not that I don’t want to finish them, it’s that once the initial feeling fades I don’t really have a process to carry me through. That boring middle is exactly where I disappear. I either start tweaking random things or just move on to something new. Seeing it laid out like this makes it harder to ignore. I need to start treating finishing like part of the work, not something that just happens if the vibe is right. Thank you Idris Elijah for the valuable insights and inspiration!
The boring middle is so difficult to overcome, I've been there many times.I think treating finishing like part of the work and not something that happens if the vibe is right, is on the money. We as creatives have to create systems that include finshing, even if the result isn't how we first imagined it. That's where editing and refining come into play. And you're most welcome! So glad you got something out of this issue. 🤗🤗🤗
Having read through your ebook, this connected a lot of dots for me. I can see now that when I don’t finish something it’s usually because I skipped the structure part and relied on momentum to carry me. That boring middle you described is exactly where I tend to drift. What I’m starting to understand (and still working on) is defining “done” earlier and sticking to it instead of endlessly reshaping the work. I appreciate how consistent you’ve been with this message Idris Elijah, your work has been a great help to me!
I'm so pleased that my work had been a great help to you! Music to my ears. And yeah, that borning middle really is a stickler. So difficult to get over that hump, but not impossible. Defining "done" early in the process is a great way to get ahead. 🤩🤗🤩
I’ve been reading you long enough to know when you’re really calling something out and I felt this one. I can see a pattern in my own work with pieces I didn’t abandon, just never finished. Kept adjusting, revisiting, leaving them open so I didn’t have to decide they were done. What you said about it affecting your identity is real. After a while, it’s not even about the piece anymore, it’s how you start seeing yourself. You’ve given me a lot to think about with approaching some unfinished work. Thank you Idris Elijah for such an in depth look at the importance of finishing what you start!
You're most welcome, Jody. Not finishing work does become less about finishing and more about your identity. We want to be the type of creatives who finish our work and most importantly, sharing it with the world. That identity shift is major. Pleased you caught that. 🤩🤗🤩
I can think of a few things right now that I’ve been thinking about instead of actually finishing. Not because I can’t but because I never really defined what done even is. I like how you keep coming back to structure over motivation. I’ve heard you say it before but this time it reinforced it so well. I’m actually going to pick one thing this week and close it out, no overthinking, just finish it. Thank you Idris for brilliantly spelling out a mindset shift that I’ve been avoiding!
Structure over motivation is vital to success. So glad you got something out of this issue. I think what you have laid out here is perfect. I wish you nothing but success, Brian! 🤩🤗🤩
I’ve read your ebook so this newsletter felt really familiar in the best way. I can see how often I rely on bursts of energy to get things started but then life picks up and I don’t always have a system to carry things through. The part about the boring middle stuck out to me. Between work, home and my daughter, that’s usually where things fall off. This reminded me that finishing doesn’t have to depend on having the perfect moment, it just needs a clear next step. Thank you for this Idris Elijah, your words came at the right time for me!
You're most welcome, Maria! So glad you got something out of this issue. I love how you laid this out, "Finishing doesn't have to depend on having the perfect moment, it just needs a clear next step." Pure gold! 🤩🤗🤩
I’ve got voice notes and half-built songs that prove your point. It’s not that I don’t want to finish them, it’s that once the initial feeling fades I don’t really have a process to carry me through. That boring middle is exactly where I disappear. I either start tweaking random things or just move on to something new. Seeing it laid out like this makes it harder to ignore. I need to start treating finishing like part of the work, not something that just happens if the vibe is right. Thank you Idris Elijah for the valuable insights and inspiration!
The boring middle is so difficult to overcome, I've been there many times.I think treating finishing like part of the work and not something that happens if the vibe is right, is on the money. We as creatives have to create systems that include finshing, even if the result isn't how we first imagined it. That's where editing and refining come into play. And you're most welcome! So glad you got something out of this issue. 🤗🤗🤗
Having read through your ebook, this connected a lot of dots for me. I can see now that when I don’t finish something it’s usually because I skipped the structure part and relied on momentum to carry me. That boring middle you described is exactly where I tend to drift. What I’m starting to understand (and still working on) is defining “done” earlier and sticking to it instead of endlessly reshaping the work. I appreciate how consistent you’ve been with this message Idris Elijah, your work has been a great help to me!
I'm so pleased that my work had been a great help to you! Music to my ears. And yeah, that borning middle really is a stickler. So difficult to get over that hump, but not impossible. Defining "done" early in the process is a great way to get ahead. 🤩🤗🤩
I’ve been reading you long enough to know when you’re really calling something out and I felt this one. I can see a pattern in my own work with pieces I didn’t abandon, just never finished. Kept adjusting, revisiting, leaving them open so I didn’t have to decide they were done. What you said about it affecting your identity is real. After a while, it’s not even about the piece anymore, it’s how you start seeing yourself. You’ve given me a lot to think about with approaching some unfinished work. Thank you Idris Elijah for such an in depth look at the importance of finishing what you start!
You're most welcome, Jody. Not finishing work does become less about finishing and more about your identity. We want to be the type of creatives who finish our work and most importantly, sharing it with the world. That identity shift is major. Pleased you caught that. 🤩🤗🤩
I can think of a few things right now that I’ve been thinking about instead of actually finishing. Not because I can’t but because I never really defined what done even is. I like how you keep coming back to structure over motivation. I’ve heard you say it before but this time it reinforced it so well. I’m actually going to pick one thing this week and close it out, no overthinking, just finish it. Thank you Idris for brilliantly spelling out a mindset shift that I’ve been avoiding!
Structure over motivation is vital to success. So glad you got something out of this issue. I think what you have laid out here is perfect. I wish you nothing but success, Brian! 🤩🤗🤩
I’ve read your ebook so this newsletter felt really familiar in the best way. I can see how often I rely on bursts of energy to get things started but then life picks up and I don’t always have a system to carry things through. The part about the boring middle stuck out to me. Between work, home and my daughter, that’s usually where things fall off. This reminded me that finishing doesn’t have to depend on having the perfect moment, it just needs a clear next step. Thank you for this Idris Elijah, your words came at the right time for me!
You're most welcome, Maria! So glad you got something out of this issue. I love how you laid this out, "Finishing doesn't have to depend on having the perfect moment, it just needs a clear next step." Pure gold! 🤩🤗🤩