How to finish a take-home
A take-home is a sample of how you work when nobody is watching. Time-box it, make it easy to run, and explain the choices you did not have time to make.
Agree the time box
If they did not say how long it should take, ask before you start. A task that quietly takes a weekend tells you something about the team.
If you accept it, set a timer for the hours they named and stop when it rings.
Read for the real ask
Most briefs hide a priority: correctness, a clear interface, or product judgment. Do that part well.
Leave a short note of what you would do with another day, instead of half-finishing five extras.
Make it runnable
Put the steps to run it in the first screen of the README. Use the language and tools the brief asked for, and seed any data the reviewer needs. If something is fake, label it.
A reviewer who cannot start the project in a few minutes will grade the friction, not the idea.
Show the tradeoff
Write five to ten lines on what you simplified and why. Name one test you added for the risky part.
Remove debug logs, unused files, and commented-out experiments. Submit with enough time left to click through it yourself once.