Leave Your Tasks Unfinished to Maintain Momentum and Avoid Mental Blocks

Seemingly contradictory by nature, author Roald Dahl suggests never returning to a blank page in order to stay motivated and on task. When asked about his writing process, Dahl quoted Hemingway for his sage advice:

“When you are going good, stop writing.” And that means that if everything’s going well and you know exactly where the end of the chapter’s going to go and you know just what the people are going to do, you don’t go on writing and writing until you come to the end of it, because when you do, then you say, well, where am I going to go next?

Put in practice while working, it can apply far beyond just writers. When facing a long term project with multiple milestones, Dahl’s “never return to a blank page” mentality remedies hiccups in focus. By keeping yourself motivated to return to a milestone or project you feel comfortable with, you may find it easier to keep making progress.