Charlie Gilkey & Maghan Haggerty: Celebrating 5 Years of Start Finishing (Episode #255)

In this special anniversary episode,

Charlie Gilkey

and

Maghan Haggerty

reflect on the five-year milestone of Start Finishing, diving deep into its impact on their lives, the lives of their community, and Productive Flourishing’s evolution over the past 17 years. They explore how doing your best work transforms you as an individual and creates ripple effects for leaders and their entire teams.

Topics We Explored:

• The deeper paradox of productivity: Why do we often end up putting off the things we really want to do in life to some later date? (When that means we may not ever start, let alone finish, those projects.)

• The origins of Start Finishing as a book, and the driving force behind it, namely to argue for doing the work that matters and treating one’s "best work" as priority — and what that changes in how we approach meaningful projects.

• All the ways in which personal and team success are interconnected, and how Charlie’s third book Team Habits built on the foundations of Start Finishing.

• The multitude of “best work” stories we’ve heard from people around the world who, as a result of finding Start Finishing, have finished the projects that matter.

• Embracing life and work simultaneously by living and working with purpose, and finding joy in the process.

• Charlie's vision for the future of "Productive Flourishing", inviting people to embrace the "get to" mindset (“getting to” do the work we’ve dreamed of doing.)

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

CHARLIE’S BOOKS

• Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done

• The Start Finishing Field Guide

• Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results

• The Small Business Life Cycle

BLOG POSTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Yet Another Blog on Time Management?!

• Stand Tall, Creative Giants

• The Air Sandwich: Why Your Big Picture and Day-to-Day Reality Don’t Link Up

• A Frog a Day Keeps Your Anchors Aweigh

• Success Often Comes When You're Not Searching for It

OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Finite and Infinite Games by James P Carse

• Give to Grow by Mo Bunnell (Episode 254)

• Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

• PF Productivity Coaching

Thanks for Listening!

We’d love to hear your stories of what you’ve started and finished thanks to Start Finishing. Share your best work moments with us!

Subscribe to the Productive Flourishing Podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform so you never miss an episode. Plus, if this episode resonated with you, leave a review to help others find the show.

Episode Timestamps

[0:00] Re-introduction to the podcast and the 5-year anniversary of Start Finishing.

[2:15] Maghan discusses her personal journey with "Productive Flourishing" and the impact of Start Finishing on her life, work, and career.

[7:48] Charlie shares the origins of Start Finishing and how it connects to Productive Flourishing’s broader mission.

[15:30] The importance of “best work” and why focusing on it and keeping it a priority leads to our thriving.

[20:58] The transition from Start Finishing to Team Habits and how personal and team success intertwine.

[32:46] Further reflection on how Productive Flourishing has evolved over 17 years and what’s next.

[40:30] Maghan shares some Start Finishing reader stories about the power of finishing our most meaningful projects.

[47:20] Charlie and Maghan dive into ideas about thriving in both work and life, by following a sense of purpose in both.

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Coming Soon: Limited, Signed Start Finishing

To celebrate the 5th anniversary, Charlie’s gone into the vault and found a small number of first edition hardcovers of Start Finishing he’ll sign (and personalize, with whatever message you’d like) and make available for sale.

If you’re interested in getting your own hands on this piece of PF history, or giving a one-of-a-kind gift to that person you know could benefit from Start Finishing, hit the button to sign up, and you’ll be the first to know when we have these available for sale.

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