Summary

The "six-month rule" is a method for maintaining focus and commitment to a project or goal without succumbing to distraction or premature quitting.

Abstract

The article introduces the "six-month rule," a strategy for ensuring dedication to a new project or endeavor. This rule involves committing to a project for six months without evaluating its success or considering other opportunities. It aims to help individuals with a propensity for starting new projects but struggling to maintain focus or persevere through challenges. The author emphasizes the importance of this rule in preventing the abandonment of projects due to lack of immediate results and in fostering a habit of consistency. The rule is applicable to various pursuits, including business ventures, blogging, fitness goals, and personal hobbies, and it encourages a long-term perspective on success. By adhering to the "six-month rule," individuals can navigate the initial excitement, the ensuing "Dip" of difficulty, and the temptation to chase new ideas, ultimately leading to meaningful progress and potential success in their chosen endeavors.

Opinions

The author believes that the "six-month rule" is crucial for filtering out projects that are not worth pursuing, thus managing one's limited time effectively.
The rule is seen as a way to alleviate the pressure of immediate success, allowing for a more relaxed and productive approach to work.
It is suggested that the rule helps in building momentum and actually completing projects, as it discourages abandoning them prematurely.
The author posits that the "six-month rule" can prevent jealousy and distraction by the success of others, as it encourages a singular focus on one's own project.
Clarity and focus are considered essential components for success, which the "six-month rule" aims to enhance.
The rule is also believed to facilitate the development of habits, as the six-month period can lead to continued engagement with the project beyond the initial commitment.
The author advocates for using the "six-month rule" as a period for experimentation, testing, and evaluation, rather than expecting immediate large-scale results.

A Simple Way to Get Any Project Done

Here it is: do something for 6 months at a time

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

If you’re like me, sometimes you feel as if your head is going to explode. There are so many books to read, ideas to execute on, projects to create, but always not enough time in a day.

I am the type of human, who likes to start new things. I love the thrill of starting a new project, business, or blog post. However, as soon as ‘The Dip’ (i.e., difficulties) arise, I tend to quit far too quickly.

Also, if you’re like me, you have trouble with focus. Americans would call it ADHD, but I doubt that it’s productive to label everything as yet another disease.

Over the past 6 years, I’ve devised, created, organized, failed (spectacularly so!) and succeeded in some of the projects. And I’ve learned a thing or two about focus.

Without it, you won’t get very far.

And over the years I’ve started projects and finished some, I’ve created a rule for myself that helps me get through any kind of ‘Dips’, battle unstoppable flow of ideas and, most importantly, not quit too early.

I am sure it will be valuable to many of you, who are having similar difficulties with focus and sticking with something for a long time. Here it is.

Enter the ‘six-month rule’.

It’s simple. Whenever you start something new, tell yourself:

Ok, mate. I’ll stick to this for 6 months. No more, no less. And before those 6 months expire, I won’t think about how successful whatever it is I am doing. I won’t doubt myself. I won’t switch to other things. I have only this thing for the next 6 months, and if doesn’t work out, it’s fine. But until those 6 months expire, I am fully committed.

I call this the ‘six-month rule’. And I use it for any kind of project I embark upon:

Writing a blog
Building a business
Starting a podcast
Losing weight on a new diet
Training for a half-marathon

And so far, it has been a life-savior. Let’s talk about why this rule is so good you can’t ignore it.

It makes you think twice about the project you want to start.

Again, if you’re like me, you have 100+ projects you would want to do in the next decade. The truth is, not all of them are worth it. And you definitely won’t be able to do all of them at once.

My father always told me,

‘Life is a portfolio of lost opportunity’

You can be anything, but you can’t be everything. Opportunity costs are everywhere, and you’ve got to choose.

Knowing that you’ll have to stick to the project for 6 months puts the stakes higher. That way, you spend much more time in the pre-commitment area, and as a result, make better decisions.

When I started my first business, I told myself, ‘Ok, dude. I give this one 6 months. If it doesn’t start generating profit until June, I am out.’ Gladly, it did, and I ended up building my first company. But if it didn’t, I would have quit and saved myself a lot of time I could have spent on some other thing.

Remember: your time here is limited. Spend it only on the important stuff.

It puts the pressure of ‘success’ off of you.

When I first started to blog a few years back, I refreshed my Wordpress page 3 times per hour. I don’t know what I was trying to see there, but I was so anxious for those first views and comments, that I became addicted.

And, as you can guess, when I didn’t receive any views for the first few months, I was crushed.

Telling yourself to stick to whatever you’re doing for 6 months and not think about the results until you’re done puts the pressure off of you. Think and evaluate later.

Right now, your job is to do.

It allows you to actually get stuff done.

Before I learned about the ‘six-month rule’, I couldn’t get anything done. I thought I was doing something, but in reality, what I was doing was starting.

I was always beginning something, and never finishing.

Why? Because as soon as the thrill of the ‘new thing’ evaporated, I wanted to start something new. I was searching for something else to give me the same thrill.

Unfortunately, the world works this way: you get better by doing something for a very long time. And you can’t do anything useful if you don’t build momentum for it.

Too often we quit before it’s possible to see any results. Ideas, projects, and businesses are like wine — they need time to become good (and show results). When all we do it start, quit and start over, we don’t allow for the results to show up.

Having the ‘six-month rule’ in place allows you to keep focused on one thing and to build the needed momentum to actually get stuff done.

It allows you to NOT be jealous.

The ‘six-month rule’ allows you to become blindfolded. You only see your thing (whatever you’re doing) and you only see the expiration date ahead of you.

You don’t hear your inner voice doubting you. You don’t hear the critics. You don’t care about the success of others. You know you’ve got your thing to do, and so you do it.

The rest can wait until the 6 months are over.

It creates clarity in your head.

Focus and clarity often go hand in hand. And over the years, I found that it’s both of them that you need to become successful.

Many of you know that this year, I went outside of my comfort zone and started to blog in English (how did I do so far?). At the moment, there were a few things I could be doing, but remembering the ‘six-month rule’, I told myself:

Ok, Sergey. Write daily for Medium for 6 months. Don’t think about view, claps, money made until those 6 months expire.

So that’s what I started doing, and nothing else. It allows me to keep my head clear — I know that at least until April 2020, I have something to do daily.

I don’t think about results. I don’t doubt myself. I don’t allow rational thinking to come and say something like, ‘Hey, this isn’t working, maybe you should switch to…’ No.

Still, 4 months to go.

It allows you to do everything you want.

Step by step.

Right now, I am having my blogging 6 months period. When the time expires, I will evaluate my progress, check the result and see how far I’ve come. Then I’ll make a decision whether to stay on track or maybe change something or maybe stop doing it altogether.

Until that, I am not to decide.

The beauty of the ‘six-month rule’ is that it also builds a habit. When my six months expire, I probably won’t be able to stop blogging (2 months have passed, and I am already hooked!).

I’ll be able to start something new for another 6-month period.

Today, when I have new ideas come to me, I tell them, ‘Ok. I’ll think about working on you in the next 6 months' period’.

Of course, it’s hard to build anything long-term in 6 months.

But it’s not about building, but rather about experimenting, testing and evaluating. It’s about giving yourself time to try and stick to it, instead of jumping around ideas, looking for the ‘next big thing’.

Remember: there is no ‘big thing’ out there. Rather, you stick to the little thing for a long time and turn it into a big one. The six-month rule allows you to do just that.

Thanks a lot for reading, hope you liked it! :)