In her book Dare to Lead, Dr. Brene Brown discussed a project management idea of "What Does Done Look Like?" When I read the question in the book, it immediately resonated with me. The idea of it is not new in any way. While Dare to Lead is not a productivity book, nearly all productivity books have some sort of conversation in them about clarifying the intended outcome. David Allen's classic Getting Things Done talks about clarifying the "desired outcome" of a project.
But which one resonates more with you:
- Clarify the intended outcome
- Clarify the desired outcome
- What does done look like?
I prefer the simplicity of Brown's option.
I've been thinking about this question a lot in the last few weeks as I set goals and made plans for 2026. While I've been thinking about desired outcomes and what done looks like for decades as I create and execute projects, it's still hard for me to not want to make something just a little bit "extra".
This past week, I spent time planning some of the projects I want to make headway on in the first quarter of 2026. I was careful to clarify what done looked like for right now. This involved a lot of planning and scheduling and really being honest with myself about what I could - and couldn't - reasonably get done between now and the end of March. Two of these projects specifically - updating the Facts of Life Book and launching my first Obsidian Course - are both lifelong projects. I'll never truly be done with them. So, the aim was to figure out what done looks like for just this quarter. And, I'm excited - and feel optimistic - about what I've got planned. I can't wait to share it with all of you.
Do you need to have a hard conversation with yourself about what done looks like on a project or activity? Do you need to have a conversation with someone else about where their work isn't meeting expectations?
