Finishing Those Unfinished Projects

Yesterday I told you that I have our annual Walk On Art Street in just over two weeks. I'm still packed up from the last show I attended, so anything else I work on will be on top of everything I already had made.

So I went on a walk-through of the craft room to see what else I could make in a short period of time. What I discovered gave me pause. I thought I might have a few projects in progress that I could wrap up, but I was wrong.

I don't have a few. I have dozens!

Apparently I got in the habit of starting something fun and then putting it on the shelf to get something else started. Repeatedly. I probably have five or six different craft projects that I could complete by the 17th. That wouldn't be a problem at all, but it's the 57 other sets of supplies that I tucked away for a later day that concern me.

So how do you tackle an overwhelming pile of projects? (You know who you are.)

* Do them in seasonal order. If you have a fall wall hanging or centerpiece started, finish that before you make Christmas ornaments. As much as you want to cut out hearts for your Valentines, consider finishing the Thanksgiving place cards first.

* Start at the top and work your way down. If there's no rhyme or reason to the way your projects are stored, or if none of them have time constraints, begin on the top shelf, pick something and finish it. Do not lay it aside for something else. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

* Work by deadline. I set daily, weekly and monthly goals for myself so I have time to make cards for Etsy, bulletin boards for church and beautiful things for my home and blog. I mix it up so that a little bit of everything gets done and nothing is left until the last minute - usually.

* Finish something for someone else. If you have a gift recipient in mind when you start a project, you will work harder and longer. If you picture your grandmother while you're crocheting that doily, you'll want to get it completed so she can enjoy it sooner.

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