Project Freeze & How-To Prevent It

Does this ever happen to you? You are 9/10ths of the way done on a project, you step away from it for a day or two, and then two days become three and four...before you know it your project is covered in dust and your enthusiasm for it has gone out the window. This just happened to me with these vintage napkins I was embroidering. I did finally pick them up again the other night and should have them done soon.

That got me thinking - why does this happen? Getting things done is way more pleasant than procrastinating, so why do we do it? For me, I have a tendency to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of things I have going on, so I just do nothing. Not good. Also, I tend to take on LARGE and DIFFICULT projects which makes them hard to actually get done in a reasonable amount of time. Yesh. Also I love to have every thing 'put away' so I will literally forget that I have a project going on. Oh brother. 

Using these challenges I've made a few new rules I'll share with you to stop project freeze:

1- Limit the number of projects you have ongoing. Try to keep it to 3 or 4. Many crafters get a 'high' from starting a project from the sense of excitement you get choosing your supplies and planning your work. But if all you're doing is starting, you'll likely get overwhelmed with all the half-finished things you have lying around. Make it a rule to FINISH a project before you start one.

2- Allow yourself some 'quick and easy' projects. Why does every project have to get harder and more complicated? It's so satisfying to finish something, even if it's a bit below your skill level. Plus, it builds confidence to show of the skills you've mastered.

3- Keep your project in plain site. Even if you like to keep your work area tidy, leave a piece of your project on a table or desk to serve as a visual reminder to pick it up again.


Hope this helps if your sitting a few almost done projects.