WEEK 37: The Finish Line That Keeps Moving Isn't a Finish Line
- Glen Jensen
- Sep 24
- 2 min read
Hang it up.
The Finish Line That Keeps Moving
The holidays are closer than you think.
The calendar will turn soon.
And still, the world will whisper:
one more sprint,
one last surge,
10x faster.
But you don’t need to collapseto be finished.
You need a clean line.
Tight, deliberate, early.
Not to impress anyone.
Not to give up.
But to arrive with enough left
to rest,
to celebrate,
to design what comes next.
Boundaries, Not Rewards
A finish line is a boundary,
not a reward.
When you don’t hold it,
the list keeps growing,
the body keeps bracing,
and no one feels done.
Some endings feel neat.
Others feel unfinished,
but still must be chosen.
That’s the work of leadership — for yourself,
and for others.
Because predictable endings
build more trust
than heroic pushes
that bleed into January.
The Punchlist Protocol of Enough
Write the list you meant to finish this year.
Circle what still defines important for completion or simply a good stopping point.
Now, draw a bold line under the last item on the list.
Below the line → defer with a review date in the new year or release it.
Get one thing to completion from the list.
Hang it on the hook.
Repeat
Say it aloud:
This part is done.
It may feel like relief.
It may feel strange.
It may even feel like grief.
That’s not failure.
That’s the body realizing
it’s safe to stop — and reset with the turning year.
When the Barn Door Shuts
A farmer doesn’t plow after harvest.
But the field isn’t finished
until the barn door shuts,
the tools are hung,
and the season is declared over.
I learned this once while helping a friend sell their house.
He had a clear list of tasks.
I said I’d help.
But every day, he added more.
Another corner to polish.
Another “must do” that wasn’t on the original plan.
Finally I told him:
“I’ll help with the list we agreed on.
But I won’t endorse a finish line
that never stops moving.”
That moment stuck.
Because closure isn’t absence.
It’s an action.
It’s what lets both people and projects
truly finish.
Traces of the Year Behind
Carry This Forward
Don’t carry a frayed December
into a crowded January.
Fix the line.
Finish on your terms.
Protect the ending
so the next season can begin clean.
Focus-finished beats manic-busy*
nine times out of ten.
(*Even a broken clock is right twice a day.)
You don’t need to be perfect at this.
Urgent tasks may still hijack your attention.
This is simply a tool
for you and for your team
to finish more cleanly
and enter the rest season
knowing you did what you set out to do.
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