Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

Reader Question… UNFINISHED PROJECTS

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A lovely reader asked a very valid question recently, and we decided to answer… and bare it all. Here’s her inquiry.

What do you do to stay motivated in the the middle of a project? I have begun and I am nearly at the end of redoing these book shelves and have not completed it! It drives me nuts! Any advice on getting started again? I think picking the final paint color is mentally blocking me!   ~Gina

K first of all… I think it’s just human nature to get in the middle of something, and then lose your burning passion. And then you find yourself procrastinating because you’re no longer excited.e0c4198930af54a36c29ecbefcc76863For me, it’s always one of the two categories:

  1. I get distracted and find something else I’m more passionate about (SQUIRREL!)
  2. I’m not confident in my abilities… or there’s an unexpected hang-up and the project intimidates me

 

Let’s talk about the first reason… DISTRACTION! It happens to the best of us. We start a project with the best intentions, and the fires of our DIY passion is blazing strongly in the most creative corner of our hearts.

Dental Cabinet

But then it starts getting old. Perhaps the project is more work than you thought it was? Perhaps there are MANY more layers of poisonous lead-based paint on that treasured apothecary cabinet, and you only ended up stripping two drawers before slapping yourself and moving on to a project that provides more instant gratification.IMG_0048

Would you believe this cabinet is still sitting in a corner of the garage, abandoned for the last 8 months? Don’t get me wrong, I still love it. But I will need to be very bored to jump back into this. And YES, it’s lead-based paint. So yuck.

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And this is just one of the many things that got half done and pushed to the wayside. Having a blog, I have the benefit of showing you all the finished products, and shoving the unfinished product into a corner, never to see the light of day… which brings me to Reason # 2: Hitting a snag or feeling intimidated

So I started making a duvet cover for our master bedroom, right? Here’s our bedroom, and the inspiration photo.

Bedroom Duvet Inspiration {Sawdust and Embryos}Source for inspiration photo

I can’t tell you how many hours I put into this… cutting, sewing, ruffling, pinning, sewing, repeat. Layer after layer. And I’m NOT a seamstress. And I had two newborn babies at the time.

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And since I always have to add my own creative flair to everything, I did the ruffles at a diagonal. What can I say? I love asymmetry.

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After spending literally dozens of hours on this, I realized that I shouldn’t have used a bedsheet as my base to sew all the ruffles on. The ruffles were a jersey-knit fabric, and ended up being VERY heavy. Like really REALLY heavy.

(Nick is going to kill me for this next pic, but it’s the only one I have that shows how far I got on the ruffles)

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And then it started being too much fabric to jam through my sewing machine. The bedsheet was breaking down from the weight. And the ruffles laid weird because of the diagonal ruffles. It was such an epic fail that I didn’t even take a picture of it on the bed… I just wadded it up in a ball and threw it in the corner of our bedroom. Where it still is to this day. Untouched for the last two years.

TRAGEDY, I know.

I might still harbor a little anger about all the hours wasted on this project. And the fact that we are still without a comforter for our bedroom.

But I moved on… to project after project after PROJECT. Some worked out, some didn’t. And some I just lost my inspiration for… and that’s ok too!

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Bottom line? IT’S HUMAN NATURE to get into a middle of a project and lose your fire.. or get distracted or intimidated. Whatever the reason… it’s ok. Time is too precious to waste on something that You’re not excited and passionate about. Put it aside until you build up a little motivation (or your husband threatens to burn it if you don’t get it out of his blasted garage).

I hope this makes you feel better about those unfinished (or failed) projects. Nobody’s perfect! and NOBODY has been more unmotivated lately than me. I’ve done a whole-lotta NOTHIN the last couple weeks. Hibernation is my coping mechanism as the winter wears on. I think we’ll all get a new burst of energy and motivation when all this white stuff starts melting off.

Can I get an amen?

Sawdust & Embryos

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Comments

  1. 36

    Best picture of Nick EVER. haha! Him and Aaron would be best friends. Why is the world so cruel at making us live half a country away from each other?
    And I have so many half started projects, it’s ridiculous. Maybe I need a sister blog: half-assed by kenz

    Reply
  2. 37

    Sorry about the comforter! That pic is great. You can use it as a costume… I procrastinate all the time.. on these DIY blogs.. 🙂

    Reply
  3. 38

    Amen! You nailed it smack on the head. I try to be aware of why I’m ignoring certain projects, in case being aware of the reason helps me work through it and get ‘er done, but mostly I just try to not beat myself up about all the unfinished stuff, and remember to bask in the glow of those that I completed. It’s wonderful to read about someone else having the same experience. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  4. 39

    I am thinking the “skirt” could be a Halloween costume… Zombie bride! Or Toga. But I also like the dress up option that someone else posted!

    Reply
  5. 40

    Nick looks nice with all those ruffles… lol Btw I think we all get to that point at one time or another.. This weather does have ua going throught the “winter blues’ can’t wait till it goes away…AMEN

    Reply
  6. 41

    My bathroom has been half painted for 4 months because its taken 4 coats and I’m still not done. And please tell me your husband is drinking a beer while modeling the duvet. If so, that just made my day!

    Reply
  7. 43

    My problem is I get asked to do something for someone and I’m like SURE I can do that….um no!
    I am successful most of the time…my motto “fake it till you make it” lol. I am self taught in a lot of areas and I have learned to compensate and actually learn something useful most of the time.I think people with creative brains usually jump in with both feet before really making a plan but that’s what makes us so unique, we have no fear…at least from my perspective. Perpetually creating! Good luck with all your “to do” list. 😉

    Reply
  9. 45

    Hey I have over a 100 UFO’s …. someday maybe. I’m fickled I fall in love and out equally fast. Hang in there.

    Reply
  13. 52

    Ha! SQUIRREL”! My 12 yr old daughter and I say that to each other all the time. We’re both ADD, creative and perfectionists so seeing any project (even simple ones) all the way through is usually pretty challenging and takes a LOT of effort.

    Reply
  14. 54

    This is SO me!! Every. Time. I’m really trying to do better at this since moving into our new house last year, because it was REALLY unfun when it was time to put our last house on the market to finish all the boring, mostly-but-not-quite-all-the-way finished projects all over the place. I finally finished my ENDLESS Circles stenciled wall last week, just because I needed to finish to move on to my picture ledge project. But I only ghetto finished it, because I didn’t paint behind the beast of a computer cabinet. That’s going to bite future me in the butt! Glad I’m not her! 😉

    Reply
  15. 56

    That duvet cover looks great on Nick! Seriously, that’s just the kind of random thing my sisters and I would have spent hours with dressing up and playing Little House On The Prairie. (We all wanted to be Laura) So, hang on to it! Your girls will love it!

    Reply
  16. 58

    I love the apothecary cabinet and having stripped several pieces of furniture myself, this one I would swallow my pride and take it to a professional that will bath dip it. Saves on worrying about lead paint exposure and tracking particles into the house for those two little dollies to get into.

    Can you believe that it was above -10 this morning in the heartland? Stay safe, stay warm…from my heart to yours!

    Reply
    • 59

      I’ve thought about that Terri, but I just have too much pride to take it to a professional. And we don’t have the funds for that. So I’ll slowly work away at it when motivation strikes. Or Nick will silently haul it to the burn pile and we’ll have to go to marriage counseling. 🙂

      Reply
  19. 66

    AMEN!!!!

    I wish I had someone to explain my vision to, and THEY could finish all my projects– like some type of DIY assistant/fair godmother!!!

    Reply
  20. 68

    AMEN! I am so glad to hear that from you. I thought I was the only one in the world that gave up when projects weren’t going the way I wanted! Thanks for not making me feel like a total failure in the world of DYI’s! PS – Love the “skirt” on Nick!

    Reply
  21. 70

    AMEN!

    For me it usually boils down to:
    1. It’s not working the way I wanted it to
    2. It’s more expensive than I thought/planned for
    3. I don’t know how (Grandpa, please come back from NC and teach me how to use all your lovely tools)

    Reply

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.