ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU HAVE STARTED by CHANAKYA

[Guest guest]

ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU HAVE STARTED

 

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WORLD'S FIRST MANAGEMENT GURU - *CHANAKYA AND HIS TEACHINGS From KAUTILYA'S

ARTHASHASTRA (WRITTEN IN 3RD CENTURY BC)* WHICH CAN BE PRACTICALLY APPLIED

BY EACH PERSON EVEN IN MODERN DAY SCENARIO.

 

*Radhakrishnan **‘Chanakya’ Pillai*

 

There’s this friend of mine who seems destined to end each and every project

of his with nothing but success. I once asked him to share his secret.He

said, “Before taking on any new project, I always complete the previous work

undertaken. That ensures that I single-mindedly, and successfully, finish

every project I take up!”

 

*These words immediately reminded me of a verse by Chanakya:*

 

* ‘Activity is that which brings about the accomplishment of works

undertaken’ (6.2.2)*

 

Very few people are good at completing work they already have. Indeed,

almost all of us keep on taking new projects, accept new orders and even

pick up new books to read without asking ourselves, “Shouldn’t I first

complete the existing one?”

 

No wonder we land up with various problems like stress, atrocious

time-management and a pathetic work-life balance. Why don’t we first

complete the work we already have at hand? Chanakya says that this happens

because we are not ‘active’. We have to ‘act’ to complete all existing work.

There’s simply no alternative to this.

 

And you only need a few steps:

 

*1) **LIST ALL PENDING WORK*

 

* If you want to see why your life is in a mess, try this simple exercise:

List the number of activities that you have started but not completed or

finished till date. It could be finishing a report, calling up and thanking

the organisers of an event, or simply completing that book you picked up. If

you’re honest, you will be shocked at the size of your list!*

 

*2) **PLAN IT, AND DO IT*

 

* Now, list the time required for completing each unfinished work. For

example, it may take a half hour to finish that report. Or about 5-10

minutes to call and thank the organisers of that party. Or the book that you

started reading and left mid-way may take about three hours more to

finish. Keep sometime, say about one hour daily, to complete these

unfinished tasks. Very important: Actually ‘DO IT’, and don’t just think

about doing it.*

 

*3) **MAKE IT A HABIT*

 

*This exercise may look difficult initially. After all, we all do get into

the dirty habit of procrastinating. But if we really discipline ourselves by

completing all unfinished tasks, we will grow in self-confidence and even

yearn for bigger challenges. The chairman of a multinational firm once

revealed to me that he spends his Saturdays just to complete any work that

may have been left unfinished. This shows how important is to be a good

finisher rather than just being a good starter.*

 

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Thank you and Have a Fulfilling Day

 

Venkat Koppaka