Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Day 9: Get it Done.

Embracing the bite is a great approach when you are having trouble starting something or continuing with a long and involved project. But if your problem tends to come at the end, where you quit just before a project is complete, then you need to shift your focus to finishing.

I am talking to myself here.

When I organized the entire basement last Spring, I left a small bucket of items to put away. I'd already sorted through the stuff and I knew what was in there: I just never got around to putting the items away.



It's still waiting for me down there somewhere.

For the love of all things finished and complete, I do not know why.

It may be that I lose interest in the project: I'm just bored with the whole thing.

Maybe I was just tired? I'd been sorting and putting things in various places for a couple of months by the time I got down to that bucket.

And could it be that I am afraid to finish because that means the project is over and that means there's going to be a test? There's always a test, isn't there?

Ok, so in case you can't tell, that last bit was totally facetious. Even so, as I get right near the end, as my foot approaches that finish line, I slow down. I want to lie down and take a nap right along side that proverbial hare. I'm looking over my shoulder, expecting....what?

So, in order to have a project for this post I cleaned out my upstairs freezer. (Jules inspired me, I must confess.) It was kind of cheating because not finishing would have meant I was stuck with all kinds of melting things all over my counter. That's aheckuva built-in deadline -- and I find that creating or having a deadline is one of the most effective ways to get the job done. So is promising myself a reward when the job is done.




I'm giving myself bonus points.


Not only did I create this totally cool banana bucket out of an old milk jug but I did everything  while a casserole baked in the oven.  (I guess that was another sort of deadline!)

ETA: You can catch all the posts in the series here.    

2 comments :

onshore said...

The last bits and pieces from an organizing project are difficult. I usually end up with few items which I don't know where they belong or they do not fit in the place they should belong to. Those are problematic.

Good work on the freezer.

Alana in Canada said...

Thanks! Could you set up a basket or a box in the craft room, maybe, and call it "leftover bits." Maybe clean it out twice a year?

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