Why do I never finish what I start?
By No Rush · Updated November 1, 2026
The short answer
Often because the middle is the hardest part to stay with. In studies by Bonezzi and colleagues, people were most motivated near the start and near the end of a goal, and least around halfway. There, each step seems to add little. In the first half, count what you've already done. Once you pass the middle, count what's left.
What are the psychological reasons behind not finishing things?
One reason is the middle. Andrea Bonezzi, Miguel Brendl and Matteo De Angelis found that the drive to keep going is often higher near the start and close to the end of a goal, and lowest around halfway. At the start, each step is a big share of what you've done. Near the end, it's a big share of what's left. In the middle, a step seems to change little.
What is it called when you don't finish what you start?
Research has no single name for it. Bonezzi and his colleagues called the dip halfway through a goal being stuck in the middle. The term describes when the drive drops during a task. Many people who start a lot of things run into the same flat stretch, somewhere after the fun of starting and before the end comes into view.
Does the end of a goal pull you forward?
Yes, once it's in sight. Ran Kivetz, Oleg Urminsky and Yuhuang Zheng followed customers of a café with a stamp card for a free coffee. The closer people got to the free coffee, the sooner they came back, with about 20 percent less time between purchases. After the reward, the pace dropped again. So the stretch right after a fresh start is often slower, too.
How do I get past the middle?
Make the middle shorter. Cut what you're working on into parts that each have their own start and end, like one chapter or one wall instead of the whole book or the whole room. In the first half of a part, look at what you've already done. Past halfway, look at what's left, and write it down as a number, such as two pages to go.
In the No Rush app
The app has a part called Making it smaller, under Tasks. You take something you keep putting off and cut it into pieces, until one piece is a start of two minutes. On Home, What's next? gives you one small step. If it still feels too big, tap Smaller.
Whatever you plan goes into Steps, with a day and a time.
No Rush app
An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.
Sign up free Take the test For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.
Sources
- Bonezzi, Brendl & De Angelis (2011). Stuck in the middle: the psychophysics of goal pursuit. Psychological Science, 22(5), 607-612. doi.org/10.1177/0956797611404899
- Kivetz, Urminsky & Zheng (2006). The goal-gradient hypothesis resurrected: purchase acceleration, illusionary goal progress, and customer retention. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(1), 39-58. doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.1.39
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