I don’t know about you, but I find it awfully hard to focus on just one project at a time. Seems I can’t be happy if I don’t have at least 3 projects on the go at once and more in line to be started.
This photo I found on flickr is exactly how I feel my focus is… all over the place & busy! *laugh*
Take Sunday for example…
I started off with the idea of trying a new knitting project so I could have something to give my hands a bit of a break from crocheting. Well, that lasted about 2 hours when I noticed that I made a mistake in a previous row. lol I ended up frogging what I had done and got down to starting again. But I soon tired of it for some reason. I had thoughts of other projects go through my mind … like curtains for my studio to help block some of the sun from coming in so it doesn’t get so darn hot in there! And with that thought I went in search of some yarn I can use for that project… then I came across something else while searching for that yarn and got the idea to try my hand at knitting in the round. So the curtain project went out the window and off I went in search of needles I could use and some yarn. This time I actually got a row done before I realized what I was doing…
Once again I found myself running around in circles instead of focusing on one thing. When it dawned on me what I had been doing, I cursed myself – out loud mind you, loud enough that my son laughed at me from his room and told me I was being “so silly” talking to myself. *laugh* I immediately stopped what I was doing, put it away, and picked up what I had originally started & got back to working on that.
Here’s what I’ve done so far, after starting once again…
I’ve got about an inch left to go on the leg/ankle part before I begin the next step.
Now what was I going on about… oh yea! *laugh*
I don’t understand why I keep losing focus on what I’m doing. I love doing what I’m doing – be it knitting or crocheting. I do keep a notebook beside me when I’m working on something so that if I get an idea I can write it down. But there are times when writing down that idea just doesn’t cut it. I end up with a burning urge to make that idea a reality… and once I give in to that urge, it tends to escalate from there.
When I find myself doing this I begin to feel frustrated. It’s almost as if I’m in search of something but I don’t know what that something is.
Yesterday, was different. Yesterday I was able to put down my knitting project & go play in my studio with beads & crochet thread.
Perhaps it’s because I get bored easily. Though boredom doesn’t seem to be it. How could I be bored with something I’m enjoy?!
Maybe I need to get a bigger notebook/sketchbook to jot down my thoughts as I get them. … hmmm … that’s what I need to be doing instead. Actually, what I need to do is focus on making this a habit of mine. Maybe then I’ll see projects finished instead of frogged. *laugh*
Making It Habit
Starting today…
- I will instead of giving into the urge to do a project idea right now, I will write down my thoughts about it & make a little sketch of my idea. Then, and only then, will I go back to doing what I was originally doing.
- If I start to feel frustrated/bored with what I’m working on, I will focus my attention on another current project and NOT start a new one. I will ONLY start a new project once I’ve gotten my WIPs pile down to three in total.
- Once my WIPs pile is down to only 3, I will keep it at three at all times. I will not start another project unless one of those three are completed.
- On Monday’s I will take a moment to look back on my week to see how I did, write an update, then “rinse & repeat” for the next week. I will do this until the end of the month.
