Am I the only person who turns away from a difficult task just before it’s finished—only to let it sit for weeks, sometimes months, before finally coming back to complete that last hour’s worth of work?

In the meantime, I spend an absurd number of hours feeling guilty, annoyed, and frustrated with myself for not just pushing through when I was so close. I mentally catalog every reason the project must be especially hard—because surely it must be, or else I wouldn’t have stopped. Then, when I finally gather the nerve to reopen that drawer, closet, or garage and face the mess, I realize: “Oh. I’ve basically finished this.”

A jolt of energy kicks in, I sail through the remaining steps, and then find myself asking, “Why on earth did I stop when I was just thirty minutes away from wrapping this up?”

Well, today was the day I opened that dreaded door. I’m happy to report that the long-avoided project—the one that required cleaning and organizing a storage area —has finally been completed. Hallelujah!

I suppose the takeaway here might be:

• “Push through to the finish line even when it’s uncomfortable.”
• “Return to what you’re avoiding—it’s probably not as bad as you think.”
• Or maybe, “If you’ve let something linger too long, just forgive yourself and get back to it. Chances are, you’re closer to done than you realize.”

That last one is probably my go-to.

If you’re the kind of person who knocks out dreaded tasks without a hint of procrastination, I admire you. If you’re more like me, just know: you’re not alone.