When feeling doubtful after starting something, put in the work first and then reevaluate...

When we are working on something difficult, we know it will take time. But when it seems out of our reach, it is natural to question whether what we are doing is worth it or if it makes sense to abandon it. But working through this feeling is essential to doing anything worthwhile. But does this mean we should keep ploughing through without ever seeing the light?  In these cases it might be worthwhile to keep ploughing but keep a point to review the decision based on how far we have come and then take the decision whether it makes sense to proceed or to give up. This thought shouldn't bother us when we are working on something except at the predetermined decision point.

And that decision can be ideally decided in the beginning. But ideally since anything difficult takes atleast double the time budgeted for it initially, it seems the ideal decision point is after we have spent double the time initially expected on the difficult thing attempted.

To summarize,

- When doing anything difficult it is natural to feel doubtful of that.
- When you start feeling that, decide that you will do that difficult thing for x amount of time.
-  Then work hard on it for 2x time
- If it is achieved then there is nothing to do.
- If not achieved yet, review based on the progress whether to sink more time to finish it or to bail out.

So basically, when feeling doubtful  after starting something, put in the work first and then reevaluate...