One of my all time favorite books on intelligent planning and perseverance is the dip, by the one and only, Seth Godin. In it, Seth shares the concept of a “Quitting Strategy”, something I’ve taken to heart and try to reflect on as often as possible. At its core, the quitting strategy is about determining – at the outset of a project – what it will take for you to quit; to truly walk away from the project. The beauty of this method is two-fold:
1. In a clear, unemotional head space, you’re making the decision as to what truly warrants walking away. For a lot of people, this is helpful because it keeps them from quitting too early. For me, it’s actually the opposite – having a quitting strategy (and discipline to reference it) keeps me from putting more energy/time/money/resources into a losing proposition. Like a gambler at the poker table betting the deed to his house, some of us don’t know when to quit when we’re in the moment. I also, personally, don’t want anyone else to tell me it’s time to quit. I need to have made that decision myself. A documented quitting strategy helps me inject my rational brain into emotional circumstances.
2. The line is black and white. If you cross the line, you quit. If you don’t cross the line, you keep giving it 100%. I think the biggest problem with most goals is that people don’t “formally” quit them, they just sort of start sliding and, over time, work less and less at making that goal a reality.
Whatever you do, don’t let your goals die with a whimper. Don’t let them sit in the back of your head as something you “should really get back to.” If you’re going to quit, quit. Learn from the process, wipe the slate clean and redirect your energy to something else. Letting them “sort of” live on in the back of your mind is like breaking up with someone and then still seeing them occasionally. You’ll never meet the right goal until you let go of the last one.
