Finishing What You Start, Especially When You're Tired

Eric Maierson of MediaStorm recently wrote an encouraging blog post about finishing what you start. (If you don't know MediaStorm, it's a multimedia agency that produces video stories for a lot of NGOs. This moving story for the International Center for Research Women is a good one to watch.) Eric writes:

...the last few days of production can feel excruciatingly difficult. At MediaStorm we often say that the last 10 percent of work requires 30 percent of the effort.

So why is that?

I think the struggle comes from two equally strong and opposing forces. On the one hand, there’s a certain impatience at the end of a project. Often after spending weeks or even months on the same piece, I’m frankly ready to be done. I’m ready for others to start watching.

On the other hand, finishing a project requires a meticulous attention to detail.

There are many times I've wanted to just be done with a story. I'm grateful that my job is fun and I really love the work I do -- no doubt about it. But after spending days and weeks editing the same audio and video, color correcting the same footage and tweaking the same typography, you do get tired. Eric's words are a good reminder that it's important to finish a story -- no matter the medium -- with the same gusto and critical eye you started it with.

Be sure to read Eric's full blog post.