From Overthinker to Overachiever: Finish Projects Faster With an Edge
How Condensed Timelines Transform Stagnant Ideas Into Income
Hey Creatives!
Time is a tricky commodity.
Too much of it and you waste it; too little of it and you stress out.
The real trick is to condense time into power periods of productivity. Make your mind up to finish projects in full stride, not just stroll through the calendar.
Why is it important to condense your timeline?
First, it prevent laziness from creeping into your creative process. And second, it steps up your game to promote peak performance.
Remember, that project you’ve been “perfecting” for six months could’ve been earning you money for the last five and a half.
That’s not motivation-speak—it’s math.
While you’ve been tweaking, researching, and “getting it just right,” someone else shipped their “less than perfect” version and is collecting payments, feedback, and momentum.
They’re on Version 2.0 now, improving their product based on what real customers told them they wanted.
Meanwhile, you’re still guessing what people might want, alone in your creative cave, wondering why you can’t seem to finish anything.
I am a notorious overthinker. I can think of good ideas all day long. No problem. I write out text files for each one that outline all the details for a unique product.
Then it takes me months and months to revisit them and find a completion date.
I overachieve on ideas and fail on executing them. It bugs me. That’s one reason I started this newsletter. I’m trying to find a faster rhythm and output. [Note: check out my progress, or lack thereof, at Creative Works.]
Imagine condensing a 9-month project into 3 months. What would that achieve for your psyche, let alone your revenue potential?
My personal goal for the next year is to focus on condensing the timeline and gaining ground by finishing projects faster.
This idea is not mine. I got it from Dickie Bush, a prolific digital writer and course creator. I’ve bought some of his products and still gain insights from free training sessions.
My goal for you is to learn the value of this lesson. It’s a simple and effective mental approach to apply to your situation.
Stagnant ideas turn into toxic pools without any fresh inputs to finish the deal.
Let’s get you out of your head and into the market.
Information vs. Action Problem
We are all drowning in media:
social apps and digital downloads,
online games,
audio and video podcasts,
PDF files and websites, and
smartphones.
Information surrounds our senses 24/7. Silence is now unnerving. Quiet time is an anomaly. We doom-scroll our creativity time away.
Nick Cole, Bush’s business partner, narrows down the key issue with productivity:
People rarely have an information problem, they mostly have an action problem.
Amen.
We are bombarded with information, news, videos and texts as soon as we wake up and reach for the phone. It starts the day and probably kills it at the same time.
Our brains are trying to deal with stimulus before we settle into any productive daily rhythm. This is the pattern day after day, month after month. This leads to unfulfilled work.
Dickie Bush proposes taking action for “leaps of progress.”
If you focus on condensing the timeline to achieve an output, then you are proactive rather than reactive. He sees life as a “successive compression of time to accomplish your goals.”
So the first question to ask yourself is: How to get it done as soon as possible to take the product to the next level?
Is it possible to compress a 2-month project into 2-weeks?
Can I complete Version 1.0 of a course in only 4, not 8, months?
Is it better to package a series of mini-eBooks before tackling a novel?
In essence, condensing time is forcing you to get ahead of yourself. It turns you into an iteration machine, instead of a tweaking one.
And along the way you gain confidence, preliminary feedback, starter income and move projects at a faster pace.
Win-Win-Win.
6 Tactics for Condensing the Timeline
In a nutshell, we confuse “time spent” with “value created.” Doh!
The hard truth is that the market doesn’t reward effort, it rewards completion and iteration.
The reality is that finishing faster doesn’t just save time; it fundamentally changes your identity from “someone who has ideas” to “someone who ships ideas that earn.”
This difference might just create the life you are seeking.
Tactic #1: Reverse The Parkinson’s Law Trap
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
If you think a project will take 6 months, then your brain unconsciously plans to use the entire timeframe.
How does this play out in the creative process?
adding unnecessary features,
second-guessing decisions,
and inventing problems that don’t exist.
On the flipside, if you enforce a short deadline, your mental space forces you to focus on prioritization and eliminate perfectionism.
Condensing time is a tactic to reverse the effect of Parkinson’s Law.
If you stop confusing busy work with progress, then you can shorten the completion time for projects. It means you need to develop the skill of discerning what is essential versus what is ego-driven.
The compound effect of condensing time allows you to finish 10 projects per year instead of 2. This is how you build an asset portfolio that leads to potential sustained income.
ACTION STEP: Open several project documents and ask yourself: “If I had to ship this project in 14 to 21 days, what would I cut?” This attempts to narrow it down to its essential viable parts. Then ask yourself: “Am I keeping these features because they add genuine value, or are they fear-based padding.” Find the true value for your consumer and yourself.
Tactic #2: The Iteration Advantage
All projects are predictions.
Even with research and experience, our brains can only make a good guess as to what the audience really wants.
We spend months trying to perfect a project in isolation making assumptions about viability, payment value and other factors. In reality, most assumptions are suspect.
Iterations are just project prototypes that get you to the next stage.
When you ship Version 1.0, you replace guesswork with real data. Your imagination can take a break because real users are telling you what they need.
Think of an iteration as a test run. Build an imperfect project and let the market provide a feedback loop that makes the next version better. Your profit potential also increase due to more insights into actual market demand.
And as a bonus, your early customers become invested in your success by leaving reviews and buying future iterations (at a discount). You start to build momentum and accountability with the public that never occurs in unfinished isolation.
Silicon Valley is the master of iterations. Every software product is shipped out with “bugs.” They expect the market to buy early versions, use them and then expose the flaws.
ACTION STEP: Choose a project and list out its features. Write down 3 assumptions you’re making about your audience. Then ask yourself: “The only way to know if this assumption is true is to ask someone who would pay for this.” The answers are found after shipping, not perfecting in a vacuum. Cut anything based on untested assumptions.
Tactic #3: The Identity Shift
Are you a creative or a creator?
This dilemma stems more so from self-doubt and overthinking. Your own identity is suspect.
It puts an unnecessary burden on your psyche. If you see yourself as “someone trying to become a creator,” every project feels like a high-stakes audition for your future self.
But if you see yourself as “someone who creates and ships work,” projects become experiments, not referendums on your worth.
The fastest way to change your identity is through repeated evidence. Ship three projects in 90 days, and your brain will rewire itself to see you as a finisher.
No more only aspiration. Plenty more product creation.
What are the real benefits of this identity shift?
It’s the difference between creative work being a source of anxiety versus a source of confidence.
Starting new projects feels exciting instead of overwhelming.
You’ll understand the value of the iterative process.
And, you’ll start attracting opportunities because the market can only reward visible work.
ACTION STEP: Schedule an hour this week to list every unfinished project and choose one that is close to being done. Consider this your “Identity Shift Project.” Commit to shipping it—imperfect, incomplete, but real—within 14-21 days. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s evidence.
Tactic #4: The Revenue Reality Check
Here is the key problem: “nobody will pay for this.”
It is a creative culture myth that destroys your potential to be financially sound. That is an insane approach to take as a creator.
Trying to make a perfect project usually attempts to add more polish than what is needed. So many talented people waste their efforts by never launching a product.
Remember this: “good enough” products that solve a specific problem will always out-earn “perfect” products that never ship.
Your first dollar earned isn’t just income, it’s market validation.
Earning revenue changes your psychology. Even getting paid $10 to $20 from your creative work proves that the market will exchange money for your skills.
This transforms your mindset from a hobby to a business.
Then as the early revenue trickles in, you can strengthen your position:
You can reinvest in better tools.
You can outsource tasks you hate.
You can buy yourself time to create more.
Perfect projects earn $0. Shipped projects start the income engine.
ACTION STEP: How many months have you worked on your current project? Multiply that by a hourly rate ($20/hour, 10 hours/week). That’s how much your perfectionism has cost you. Now figure out the absolute minimum viable version of your project that someone would pay $5-$25 for. What could you ship in the next 7-21 days? That’s your target.
Tactic #5: The Psychological Compound Effect
This is a nasty consequence of having unfinished projects.
A psychological debt builds up in your brain and exerts pressure on your well-being. Each project occupies mental real estate and whispers “you’re not good enough.”
It’s easier to move on and start another fresh idea, than to be haunted by abandoned or lingering projects. In my case, I excel and prefer the idea phase and stress out over the end product.
Finished projects, even imperfect ones, create a virtuous cycle.
Each completion strengthens your “finisher” neural pathways.
Each completion builds evidence against your inner critic.
Each completion generates a belief that you’re capable of achieving what you set out to do.
This compounds exponentially.
And what happens after you finish a half-dozen projects? Your self-doubt won’t disappear, but it will lose its power because you can point to a portfolio of completed work.
This psychological shift is worth more than any creative skill because it’s the difference between a career of “almost” and a career of “done.”
ACTION STEP: Open a spreadsheet or note and create three columns: “Project Name,” “Ship Date,” and “What I Learned.” Add a project to the first row with a ship date 14-21 days out. Plant this pre-completion seed in the “What I Learned” column: “I learned I can ship even when it’s not perfect.” Now, commit to adding at least 3 more projects to this document over the next 90 days.
Tactic #6: The Market Timing Reality
Waiting for perfection is a missed opportunity on many levels.
The most obvious one is not shipping a product to the market. That’s a project already dead in the water. There’s no potential for income.
Another lost opportunity is because markets move fast:
A trend that’s hot today might be saturated in 3 months.
A problem people are googling right now might be solved by others next quarter.
When you take 9 months to perfect a project, you’re betting that the market will still care when you finally ship.
Speed isn’t just about finishing; it’s about market timing.
By shipping faster, you’ll catch opportunities while they’re still ripe. You’ll be the creator who has a product ready when people are searching for solutions.
Depending on your market audience, you can also build your reputation as someone who responds to market needs quickly. This attracts possible collaborations and opportunities.
ACTION STEP: Open Google Trends, YouTube, or a Reddit related to your niche. Spend an hour identifying what people are asking about today versus 6 months ago. Write down 3 trending topics or problems. Now ask: “Can I ship a ‘good enough’ solution to one of these problems in the next 14-21 days?” If yes, that’s your next project.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Creative Success
Here is the hard truth: The market doesn’t reward the most talented creatives.
All of us have bought or reviewed products that were subpar. We know that lots of money is being made on substandard content.
Your unfinished masterpiece in a folder is worth $0 and helps no one.
The creatives who build sustainable income and satisfying careers have internalized a simple truth:
Finished and imperfect beats perfect and imaginary, every single time.
You don’t need more time, more skills, or more confidence.
You need to ship. You need to condense your timeline. You need to streamline projects and be a creator again and again.
The condensed timeline isn’t a hack, it’s how professional creatives actually work.
Until next week,
— Rick
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