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Do you have more than 1 project going at a time? I'm finding I get bored with a project or my mind wanders to other things I need to do if a project takes too long. At that point, I hurry the project along and end up with results either I don't like or done in a way not to my standards. Right now we've been doing our bathroom since the beginning of April. I'm to the point that I enjoy most which is the painting and decorating, but I'm burned out. I dread even thinking about the bathroom. Our kitchen has 95% of the wallpaper down, which I started, when we got to a stand still on the bathroom. It's not that we don't finish what we start, I just start other things before I'm finished. So, how about you?

I do that mostly with sewing projects, so I know what you mean. I get fabric, stuffing or pillow inserts, and then maybe cut a couple of pieces of fabric, then they get piled on the ironing board, chair or somewhere and I don't get inspired to finish them. Also some other small projects,, and right now my patio table is cluttered with pot painting projects, and I just keep putting off finishing them.

My attention span certainly isn't what it used to be, so I tend to flit from activity to activity throughout the day rather than finishing one task or process from start to finish.

For me, it's essential to have many going.

I physically can't handle doing one specific thing for 8 hours straight--like painting trim. Using the same muscle groups for that long--oh my, I wouldn't be able to move for the next two months!

By moving from project to project, I use different muscle groups, so none become sore or strained from overuse on a single project for too long.

I also alternate projects of sit/stand/walking elements. Hand/wrist movements, vs. leg movements, vs. back movements.

And so on.

I always have something going or i will get bored.I wish i could just sit back & enjoy what i have done.

I have at least a half a dozen projects going at once- though I've tried very hard to complete one project before starting another, that doesn't always work out.

For example: last year I did a mini-renovation of the upstairs bath. The only thing remaining was to hang a few things on the walls, and to replace the gold/brass faucet and shower head. BUT- in order to do that, I'd have to cut a hole in the wall from the other side (which happens to be a closet) and then hire a plumber to do the actual work, since it would most likely involve skills beyond what I have.

And, of course, this also means the "while-you-are-at-it" project of repairing the closet wall, painting, and installing a closet organizer had to follow.

And it just hasn't happened- because first I was saving up money for the plumber- and by the time I had money, I was thinking of other projects.... and I've moved on to the family room.

And this project stalled a bit while I moved outside to work on the garden and some hardscape work there.... which didn't entirely get finished either.

So right now the bathroom is still not done. The garden work is still not done. The family room work is not quite done and what is getting done is sooooooo sloooooow.

I didn't mean to do that, but I did.

quote:

Originally posted by Indexlady:
For me, it's essential to have many going.

I physically can't handle doing one specific thing for 8 hours straight--like painting trim. Using the same muscle groups for that long--oh my, I wouldn't be able to move for the next two months!

By moving from project to project, I use different muscle groups, so none become sore or strained from overuse on a single project for too long.

I also alternate projects of sit/stand/walking elements. Hand/wrist movements, vs. leg movements, vs. back movements.

And so on.

I am now so much like you now. I need to have a few projects going at the same time. Sometimes I am waiting on something I ordered, or for paint to dry, or the rain to stop (so I can sand something out of doors). So, it is important to me to be able to jump from one project to another.

A lot of us women are multi-taskers so we learn ways to make it work.
If we cannot do it 'all' then just take a break until the creative juices drive us to work on a project again!

I don't tend to start a project (or book) w/o finishing it. I'm an all or nothing person. Tho DH and I are/were avid DIYers, some of our projects were so frustrating and labor intense that I was ready to flee our home to escape plugging on. He is also notorious for not completely finishing (case in point, filling in nail holes and quarter round baseboards) before we're onto the next thing. I can't complain, as the projects are so near complete that these finishing steps are probably undetected by anyone other than ourselves. Still...they nag at me and I'm not about to finish them on my own. I am lucky he's "handy" tho and w/ retirement looming for him, I am preparing a list lest he thinks I'll forget.

Wow...I can so relate. I tried to paint a room with tall ceilings for ten hours straight a couple of weeks ago. I was up and down the ladder all day long and on the floor taping off the trim as well. The next day I was so wiped out, I could hardly move. I do better if I multi-task, and frankly, I have to whenever I cannot find what I need to finish a project. I call it learning to be flexible...not my strong suit.

~Lady50

Lady50,
Learning to 'be' flexible in the mind is something everyone is going to have to learn to do eventually as they get older as the body becomes less flexible! LOL I am so there!

It is easier to do small thing like some tiling or painting window frame, but it's get boring after long hours..

I usually try to complete a project from start to finish so I can cross it off my list but sometimes it is impossible. I don't get bored but either run out of money or, in the case of certain tasks, I need a few days to rest. I do try to have all materials on hand before I start a project, but at 70 yrs. old my body needs to take a much needed rest. When I painted my small bathroom, it took two weeks because I could only work for about two or three hours a day. Gone are the days I could spend all day on a project!

I've often had more than one project going at a time as some projects cannot be hurried. For example, my landscaping project is ongoing and may not even be completed this year as there are several small projects dependent on various tradesmen and my time and energy. Not that it matters because it looks OK as is and few people know what I ultimately want it to look like.

Small indoor home decor projects are usually completed in a timely fashion unless problems arise. I almost always have a handwork project on the go which isn't always completed very quickly, depending on my mood and what else I have to do.

I've always removed wallpaper as quickly as possible as can't stand the look of that unfinished. The reason I hope never again to have to do it as it's one of the worst projects for me.

I can't imagine only having one project going at once. I don't think it will ever happen.

I have wondered about myself and my attention span. Some times I can not unload the dw in one fell swoop.

The other day DH and I were doing a very small project in attic and it meant turning direction so I was looking at different things. Each view distracted my focus from our task and I wanted to comment on or fantasize about what I could do with those things.

I do even very simple tasks in stages i.e. when plates got broken by furnace man, it took a while to buy a new one, then I didn't have the right sized hangers, finally got them but then I didn't have the picture hooks, got them but still did not hang plates till today. Maybe a month or two after the accident.

No.I think it is important to do it room by room so I do not start on another room until the one I am working on is finished. Otherwise it can end up looking like a mish mash mess.

quote:

I think it is important to do it room by room so I do not start on another room until the one I am working on is finished. Otherwise it can end up looking like a mish mash mess.

IMO there are different types of projects and many do not show as unfinished and are only seen when they are completed. Certainly painting a room or redoing a kitchen are projects that will look incomplete until finished. However craft or sewing projects or adding plants or hardscape to one's garden are not always apparent as unfinished.

I always have many projects in the planning stage and some will eventually become reality and others won't unless perhaps I live a very, very long time (and also get staff)! LOL

Even with craft and sewing projects I will complete one before starting another.Otherwise I will lose focus and possibly interest in my project if I bounce from one thing to another.