Let me guess. You have at least three unfinished projects sitting on your desk right now. Maybe it's that course. You were so excited to create that marketing campaign. You started last month, or the business system, you swore you'd implement this quarter. You started each one with general enthusiasm, but somewhere along the way, your attention got pulled in 17 different directions and now you're beating yourself up. For being a serial starter who never finishes, stop right there. That's the story that you're telling yourself and it is not true. Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, the creator of the Reality Check Method, and a business coach for overwhelmed female entrepreneurs. I've built and sold several digital businesses, and I have worked with business owners who think that they're broken because they can't seem to finish what they start. But here's the reality check that you need. The problem isn't your willpower or your character. It's that you're trying to use finishing strategies designed for brains that work completely different than yours. Here's what's probably happening in your life. You start projects with incredible energy and vision. You see exactly how this new initiative will transform your business. Then real life kicks in client emergencies, family obligations. That urgent email that turned into a three hour rabbit hole, before you know it, your project is gathering dust while you feel like a complete failure. Then comes the shame spiral. You start questioning whether you're cut out for entrepreneurship. You wonder if successful business owners are just more disciplined than you are. Then you decide that maybe you're lazy or you have a lack of focus. So you either abandon the project entirely or force yourself through with sheer willpower until you burn out. I see this pattern constantly. You're not lacking discipline. You're just trying to use a finishing system that wasn't designed for how your brain actually works. Most productivity advice assumes that you can maintain laser focus for hours at a time, that you don't have constant interruptions and that your motivation stays constant. But that's not the reality for most business owners. When we begin a new project, our brain releases dopamine. You know, that feel-good chemical. That makes us feel excited and motivated. But as the project progresses and becomes routine, that dopamine hit decreases, and suddenly the work might feel a little boring. Or overwhelming. Add that to the entrepreneurial reality that you are constantly switching between tasks, dealing with client needs, and managing multiple priorities. Your brain literally gets rewired for quick task switching rather than sustained focus. This isn't a character flaw, it's just your brain adapting to its environment. Here's the reality check. Most finishing advice just tells you to push through or eliminate all distractions. But if you're running a business, eliminating distractions isn't realistic. Clients need responses. Family situations arise and new opportunities appear instead of fighting your scattered attention, we need to work with it. The key is understanding that finishing isn't about perfect focus. It's about strategic momentum and creating systems that work with your easily distracted brain and not against it. Here's how to finish what you start. First, you're gonna stop everything and honestly assess your current unfinished projects. So reality, check yourself. Ask yourself which project needs finished. Which one would genuinely move my business forward? What am I trying to finish? Just because I started it versus what actually matters. Now, what would happen if I gave myself permission to abandon all the projects that no longer serve me? Write down all your answers. This isn't about forcing yourself to finish everything. It's about strategically choosing what deserves your focused attention. The next step is the distraction friendly breakdown you're going to take your chosen project and break it into what I call attention span chunks. These are tasks that take between 15 to 25 minutes max. Your scattered brain can focus for short bursts. So instead of planning for a three hour work session plan for multiple short sprints, each chunk should be specific enough that you could complete it even if you got interrupted halfway through. The next step is all about momentum triggers. This is where the magic happens for the easily distracted entrepreneurs. Instead of waiting for motivation, create environmental triggers that automatically pull you back to your project. This could be a specific playlist, a particular location, or even a simple routine like lighting a candle. When your attention inevitably wanders, these triggers help you slip back into project mode without the mental effort of getting motivated again. So let me give you a couple practical steps to make this work in real life. First establish what I call project check-in alarms. Set up to three random alarms throughout your week that simply ask yourself, am I still working on what matters? This isn't about guilt. It's a gentle redirection when your attention has wandered to less important tasks. Next, embrace the good enough to progress mindset. Your easily distracted brain, often abandons projects because they're not perfect, but finished and imperfect beats perfect and abandon every single time. Give yourself permission to complete things at 80% of your original vision. If that means actually finishing, and finally, I create these reentry rituals. When you inevitably get pulled away from your project, have a simple two minute routine that helps you remember where you were when you left off and what comes next. This could be leaving yourself a voice memo, writing one sentence about your next step, or just closing your laptop in a specific way that signals, I'll be back Here's what I want you to remember. Being easily distracted isn't a character flaw that disqualifies you from finishing important projects. It's just information about how your brain works. And once you understand that you can design systems that actually serve you. You don't need to develop super human focus to finish what matters. You don't need to eliminate every single distraction from your life. You just need a reality check about what's worth finishing. Break it down into attention span friendly pieces, and create simple triggers to help you maintain momentum. Even when life gets chaotic, your scattered attention isn't evidence that you're not cut out for entrepreneurship. It's often exactly what makes you creative, adaptable, and innovative in your business. The key is learning to channel the energy strategically instead of letting it scatter in all directions. This distraction friendly approach to finishing projects is exactly what I teach entrepreneurs in my Growth Collective Mastermind, because when you work with your brain instead of against it, everything is possible. And if you want more strategies like this, follow me at exclusively Cindy on Instagram for more reality checks that actually work for scattered entrepreneurs. Now, go finish something that matters. And remember, you've got this.

Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today. Remember, overwhelm isn't permanent. It's simply your brain's way of saying pause and take a little reality check. If you got value in today's episode, please share it with another entrepreneur who needs that reminder. If you're loving the show, I'd be so grateful if you could leave me a quick review. It helps other overwhelmed entrepreneurs find us. Make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss your weekly dose of clarity. For more resources and to connect with me, visit exclusively. Send. d.com. Until next time, remember, you've got this.