Projects. Projects can be a big enemy in our efforts to get organized. What’s a project? This is how I typically hear a project described:
- Oh, that’s broken. Someone was getting rid of it. I’m going to fix it.
- That ugly piece of furniture has so much potential!
- I’m definitely going to do something with that… I saw something cool on Pinterest!
- Someday, when I have free time, I’m going to work on that. I’m just too busy now.
- I started this years ago… never finished it. But I will! Someday, I will!
We all have one or two of these, right? Those “full of potential” projects can start to add up, however, and before long, you look around, and what you see are unfinished project on shelves, in closets, in corners, in the garage, and so on. Looking at them may make you feel guilty for having neglected them. Your family members may be mentioning it, and in a way that doesn’t feel so supportive (“Are you EVER going to finish that thing? How long do I have to live with it here??”).
If you’ve been trying to get organized and reclaim your space for your CURRENT life needs, maybe it’s time to ask yourself some questions to help determine if it’s time to either move it forward towards completion, and what it will take to make that happen, or time to let it go….
- If you had all the free time in the world tomorrow, with nothing else pulling at you, is working on this project how you’d spend that day?
- It had some importance to you the day you set this project aside for the future. Does the idea still hold the same importance for you today?
- Is keeping it unfinished taking up valuable space or resources from more important parts of your life or home?
- What’s holding you back from doing it now?
- Sunk costs aside (because you can’t get those back), what will it take to finish it?
- Is it possible to get some value out of it in its current state, and not have to complete it at all? Maybe someone else would like to finish it?
- Once the project is done, how do you expect you will feel? What will the finished project’s value be in your life?
These questions can help put those unfinished projects in perspective, and help you prioritize what to keep, what to complete, and what to chalk up to inspiration that never fully took hold. Time to start looking around!
Kathy Vines
Certified Professional Organizer,®
Productivity Consultant
Based in Melrose, MA.
Clever Girl Organizing® works with clients in their homes or offices to transform their space and systems, minimize stress, and maximize efficiency, productivity, and serenity! Her superpower is helping people untangle their relationship to their stuff!
There is often so much energy around fixing broken items acquired while “dumpster diving.” The items fill up your home but may never get used, just adding to the number of projects to do. It’s hard to let something go, but somethings that is the best answer. The less you bring in to fix, the fewer projects to finish.
Love these questions. I believe, owning up to the fact that a project will never be completed is not giving up. It’s being honest with oneself. And, when a person is honest with themselves, they are more likely to consider that a project may be too big for them to handle alone. Thanks for sharing.
I especially like that first question. We often say we don’t have time to do something, but if we’re honest with ourselves, time isn’t the issue at all.
Great post that we can all relate too. I have a projects that I blogged about last year that still isn’t complete. It’s a built in bookshelf that I just can’t figure out what I want to do with. I have tons of smaller projects and I have learned to let go of the one’s that are out of date or that just don’t go with my current life. 🙂
Kathy this can make one feel so overwhelmed. It’s like a to do list that never gets shortened. Thanks so much for the guidance in making important decisions regarding this need.
I like question #6. Often people have such high expectations and perfectionist tendencies around things that it paralyzes them from finishing a project. Asking if it could be used as is gives one permission that good enough is really okay.