The gardener who notices early has more choices than the gardener who only checks the harvest.

Attention paid early buys choices. Attention paid at the end buys only a verdict. Whether the thing growing is a plant, a project, or a working relationship, small signals appear long before the outcome does, and each one you catch is a decision you still get to make. Waiting for results does not simplify a problem, it only delays it.

Pick one thing you have been judging by its finished state and look at it midway this week. Ask what it needs now rather than what it produced.