Too Many Projects

As I return to my “real life,” I’m trying to get back into the routines and patterns that help keep my life in balance. One of those is “Screen Free Saturday”. It’s a day, once a week, where from the time I get up till (at least) the moment the sun sets, I live without a screen. I started it last year, and It’s amazing how it impacted my mental health.

I spent almost every Saturday sewing, painting, and working on art projects that filled my house with beautiful things. And way too many craft supplies.

So, I’m trying to get all of those supplies organised to make my Saturdays even more peaceful.

But now that I am looking at all the supplies I have, I’ve also found a very dark truth that I had been ignoring for the past year - I like to start things, but I am not very good at finishing.

It’s true that paintings I painted hang on my walls, and the felt wreath and garland I made last autumn are beautiful, and I can’t wait to put them out.

But there are about a dozen felt flowers I cut and never put together.

There are several half-sewn (or barely begun) sewing projects that have been shoved into reusable bags.

There is the planner I started last October so that I would have plenty of time to get it ready for the new year - it’s still not done.

I did some work for each of these, then set it aside to work on the next Saturday, only to be distracted by something new.

Sometimes, I just gathered the materials and set them aside until I found a last bit or when I had the time.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same.

I have too many projects.

I have never been one to get rid of items for a project because I’ve always come back to them and finished. Sometimes a few days later, sometimes a few years later. But I always came back to it. I always finish them or reimagine them into something even better. So, I don’t want to get rid of any of the projects I started because I still want to finish them.

I don’t have enough storage to have this many projects going on at the same time.

I can’t keep a clean, open space with this many reusable bags cluttering up any place I can fit them.

I’m going to try to fix this by putting the projects in clearly labelled boxes and then taking them out, one at a time, not getting out another until the one I’m working on is finished.

Well - kinda.

I’m going to leave out my oil paints because those projects can take forever to dry enough for the next layer, let alone to be finished.

I’m also only boxing up the projects I think I want to work on this autumn. The rest I will shove into storage in a closet so that I don’t get overwhelmed by them.

I’m not sure this will work with my ADHD brain. But it’s worth a shot.

Hopefully, I can get many of these done.

Then, I can not only have them to enjoy but also be able to let go of any excess materials that I am not going to use.

I might try to add more art to my mornings or evenings. Any downtime that I have where I can put my phone away and really let myself be an artist. Then, I can get more of these done.

I’m trying to find the balance between keeping the freedom to create that helped make these days more relaxing and actually keeping my brain on track so I can finish what I start.

I know I will feel better and have more mental space if I finish as many of these projects as I can. But doing that is easier said than done.

There are just too many projects.