Every new year brings with it a fresh list of goals, intensions, and big plans. Mine? A little less glamorous and a lot more realistic.
My very first goal for the year is to get our guest bedroom/craft room into some form of organized chaos– and, more importantly, to finally finish some of the projects that have been patiently waiting for me. Some of them for… a very long time.
Welcome to what I am officially calling Finish the Forgotten Projects.
A House Full of Crafts (and Half-Finished Ideas)
I haven’t really talked much about my craft obsessions yet, but let’s just say I’m not a one-craft kind of person. Sewing, paper crafting, baking and cooking (which thankfully happens in the kitchen), and a rotating cast of creating hobbies all compete for my attention.
The problem isn’t starting projects. I’m excellent at starting projects.
Finishing them? That’s another story.
Unless something is for a gift- or there’s a real deadline involved- projects tend to get set aside. Sometimes I get distracted by another craft while digging through my supplies. Other times I stumble upon something I started years ago and suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to pick that up instead.
One abandoned project leads to another, and before I know it, I’ve created a full-blown cycle of creative chaos.
Meet the Procraftinator
I lovingly refer to myself as a procraftinator.
I either start something at the very last minute… or I start something with great enthusiasm, don’t finish it, forget about it entirely, and then rediscover it years later like a surprise gift from my past self.
“Oh yeah,” I’ll think. “I was really excited about this.”
This happens a lot with sewing- especially fabric. I’ll fall head over heels for a beautiful print, buy it with a very specific project in mind, and then let it sit for days… weeks… months… or years. When I finally pull it back out, I have absolutely no memory of what I bought it for and have to invent a brand new plan.
Not exactly efficient- but very on brand.
January and February Mission: Finish the Forgotten Projects
So this January and February, I’m doing something different.
Instead of starting something new, I’m intentionally pulling out projects that have been waiting for too long. Two in particular stand out:
- One is a cross-stitch quilt my great-grandmother gave me to make. It’s been a work in progress for over 25 years. No pressure.
- The other is a quilt I started roughly 10 years ago and fully intended to finish “soon.”
These two months will be about revisiting those projects, organizing my space, and giving myself permission to work through what I already have- without the guilt, and without adding too many new ideas to the pile.
Will This Be the Year?
I won’t pretend this will be easy. I know myself well enough to admit that distractions are always lurking nearby. But I also know how good it feels to finally finish something that’s been waiting in the wings.
So will this be the year I break the cycle? Maybe. Will I still get distracted? Probably. But progress- even imperfect progress- counts.
If you’re a fellow procraftinator, you’re in good company here. I’ll be sharing updates, wins (big and small), and maybe even a few lessons learned as I work through my forgotten projects.
Here’s to finishing what past versions of ourselves started- and enjoying the process along the way.
Beth