Anybody procrastinate on starting projects?

[Charles Wiggins]

I love WW, and am okay once I get going, but I often procrastinate starting.

I recently finished building and set up our K. size platform bed and it's time to make the headboard, but I keep putting it off. I think it's a fear thing, because money is real tight and I don't want to make any mistakes and have to blow the budget to get more wood.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Charles.........I do that occassionally but the fear is usually bigger than the project.

When I get into a project like that, I'll often draw it out; figure all the measurements and put it aside for a day or two. Then I go back over the drawings and check all the measurements and make a parts list and set it aside for a day or two. I'll go back over it a 3rd time, checking all measurements, recheck the parts list.....and get on with it.

Often the fear is worse than the project.

If money's tight right now, go through the whole step above making sure everything is correct and put the plans in a safe place for use when money isn't so tight.

Of couse, the LOYL could break out the whip anytime and then "get on with it!":D

[Joe Pelonio]

I do that mostly with the honey do projects. Then once I start I have to finish
as soon as possible. The latest was the kitchen cabinet painting, and refinishing the table. We wanted it done before Thanksgiving, and I made it just before Halloween. Still on the procrastination list, remodeling 2 of the bathrooms and the master bedroom.

[Scott Loven]

No, its usually finishing a project before I start the next one, or two or......

[Gary Keedwell]

I love WW, and am okay once I get going, but I often procrastinate starting.

I recently finished building and set up our K. size platform bed and it's time to make the headboard, but I keep putting it off. I think it's a fear thing, because money is real tight and I don't want to make any mistakes and have to blow the budget to get more wood.
All the time....I'm doing it right now:eek: There is nothing like a computer to waste time and get nothing done.:p
Gary

PS. Not that there's anything wrong with that.;)

[Karlan Talkington]

I will procrastinate on most things but never on starting a project. My problem is that I end up starting more than one and have a hard time finishing them. Focus.. must focus.

[Charles Wiggins]

I will procrastinate on most things but never on starting a project. My problem is that I end up starting more than one and have a hard time finishing them. Focus.. must focus.

My shop isn't big enough for me to have more than one or two WW projects going at the same time. ;)

[Jim Becker]

Procrastination on finishing projects is more of a problem, but it's generally "involuntary"... ;)

[Jesse Cloud]

I can't remember who said it, but I like the idea that "woodworkers procrastinate on finishing a project because when its finished, you have probably lost the hope that this will be the masterpiece". Sure fits me...;)

[Tony De Masi]

This is the fourth time I tried to reply to this post. ;)

[Paul Engle]

I had a hard time with starting big new projects, a trick I discoverd was to start a small one , really small and when it was done go right into the one I had been putting off, see, once I got wound up I disliked stoping more than starting, so the small project got me started and the larger on kept me going. Works good for me, and the let down was very mild when the thing was done, usually pooped ( maybe 2 months later) by that time so it was easier to unwind.

[Ted Calver]

Charles,
As a professional procrastinator, I find it best to keep a list of all the projects I am procrastinating on. When my wife accuses me of procrastinating on a project I usually immediately select a project from lower on the list to actually work on to keep from having to work on the project of the moment. This way, some small projects actually get completed, temporarily appeasing the missus while keeping my reputation intact. :)

[Gary Keedwell]

Charles,[QUOTE]

As a professional procrastinator,



Man...I would love to get paid to do that!!!!:D
Gary

[Charles Wiggins]

Charles,
As a professional procrastinator, I find it best to keep a list of all the projects I am procrastinating on. When my wife accuses me of procrastinating on a project I usually immediately select a project from lower on the list to actually work on to keep from having to work on the project of the moment. This way, some small projects actually get completed, temporarily appeasing the missus while keeping my reputation intact. :)

"Why put of 'til tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow!"

[Robert Goodwin]

I tend to want to plan everything out in so much detail so that I won't make a mistake that I never actually start the project. My wife on the other hand jumps right in. She makes mistakes, but atleast she starts something. It is easy not to make mistakes when you never actually do anything :cool:

[Greg Cole]

Can't say as I procrastinate, I am from the "get to gettin' school".. but I am one to have a couple irons in the project fire. My reason for this is having a 2 car garage shop, finishing is a challenge.... or it's an exercise in futility trying to get the shop to where I think it's "clean enough" for finishing. So, that said.... I try to get 2-3 projects to the ready to finish stage before trying to get the shop spotless...... the one WW related thing LOML will not tolerate is me using the living room in the basement adjacent to the shop to finish in. She doesn't think it's funny when I tell her "if ya think it stinks up here... ya outta be down there" :D.

But there does come a time when I have to clear the slate cause I haven't found the wall stretcher for the shop yet.

Greg

[Wayne Watling]

I use to procrastinate when things weren't clear in my mind about the job at hand. This was true especially at the beginning of a project if I was overly eager to get started but didn't really put in the required groundwork prior to beginning, which then resulted in a false starts after which I'd end up leaving things alone for a while. Generally it was all due to inexperience and not knowing what to look for or how to approach the design/building process or specific problems assocoated with a stage of the contruction.
With a few years of expereince behind me this has mainly gone away and I now know ways of looking into problems that arise during the different phases of design and the actual contruction, which helps alot. Still I find that 'finishing' sometimes gets me, and this is something I have the least experience with.
Generally I feel the most important part of a project is the planning and design part which gets everything clear in the mind, the result of which is a smoother construction phase and even if something doesn't go completely to plan its alot easier to work around it if you have a clear mind regarding all the other detail.
Practically this could means drawing out your design to scale, working through all the details (joints, steps and stages etc), think about the finishing and try the finishing on samples.
These are just a few thoughts on the subject.

Best,
Wayne

[wyman autry]

i'll probably answer this question tomorrow.

[Justin McCurdy]

I am horrible with this. I am so afraid that once I get started, I will find some way to make it better (engineer), and dread completing the project. I am much safer just dreaming about the project.

Case in point, I have a bunch of garage cabinets without faceframes or doors. While I can access everything on the shelves easier without the face frames and doors, there is something that just seems unfinished about them.

[Hubert Carle]

I saw a great poster in my high school counseling office.

Procrastination is my sin
It brings me endless sorrow
I really aught to stop
In fact, I'll stop tomorrow!

:cool::cool:

And yeh I do too

[Ken Werner]

I'll answer the question later.

The bigger the project, the longer it takes to begin...I get nervous about starting it, once underway it goes pretty smoothly.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

No, its usually finishing a project before I start the next one, or two or......

Same here!

[Gary Garmar]

Its how I stay so bizzzy!!!!! :D :D

[Brian Elfert]

I procrastinate on starting projects all the time, but they usually don't involve wood.

Right now I'm supposed to be cleaning out my garage, but I keep procrastinating since it is so dirty. I should have been out there two hours ago.

[John Shuk]

Yes I do!!!!!!!

[Phil Thien]

"The hardest part of any projects is getting started."

[Jon Lanier]

I'd answer this question but I'm just going to wait until tomorrow.

[Gary Keedwell]

http://sitelife.woodmagazine.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/2/809b3466-60eb-4c60-b29b-2d5e8ddc9a92.Medium.gifI was gonna post this earlier, but.......