by Aby Garvey
If you’re a fan of to-do lists, you’re probably familiar with that boost of energy that comes from checking something off your list. It’s a tiny little endorphin rush. One so strong that many a list maker has actually added a recently completed item to her to-do list, just so she could check it off. This, my friends, is what I call the power of completion. It’s that oh-so-good feeling that comes from getting something done.
If the power of completion is strong and positive…then what does incompletion feel like? It’s an equal but opposite feeling…just as strong, but instead of feeling good it feels, well, icky. Unfinished projects and to-dos drain us, tug at our energy, and pull us down. And yet, sometimes, in spite of the blissful feeling that accompanies the check mark of completion, it’s so hard to finish what we’ve started!
If you’ve faced this before…wild enthusiasm for the start of a project, followed by project drudgery, here are seven ideas to help you tap into and create the power of completion.
Set limits.
One of the strategies I suggested in “the happy scrapper” is to limit the number of active projects you have going at a time. (This works for scrapbooking projects, as well as any other type of project you do.) Choose a number that works for you (I’d suggest between three and six) and then, set up your space to reflect your limits. Have a bin for each active project, and when every bin is full, finish one project before starting a new one. Aside from encouraging completion, this strategy has additional benefits. It limits the accumulation of new, project-specific items. Plus, cleaning up and putting away supplies when you’re finished with a project becomes a natural part of the process…you’re quite literally creating space for your next project.
Take breaks when needed.
One of the benefits of having a set number of projects is that you can bounce between them and take breaks when you want or need. This time away from a project can be the perfect cure for the mid-project doldrums. By making breaks a seamless part of the process, your projects seem less like obligations and more like options. Which fun project will you choose from today?
Capture new ideas.
Ideas have a funny way of sneaking up on us at the least convenient times. We get all fired up about a new project…right when the project we’ve been working on needs our attention. An idea notebook or binder is terrific solution. It allows you to keep your creative spigot flowing without feeling the need to act on an idea the instant it comes your way. By keeping the ideas flowing and capturing them in a notebook or binder, you will collect a whole bunch of project ideas. When you’re ready to start a new project, you simply flip through your idea book and select your next project–that one idea that excites you the most!
Set up a distraction pad.
It’s hard to get into the flow of a project when other things are vying for your attention. If you’re bombarded with other to-dos (call Mom, get orange juice, sign Susie’s permission slip) you need a distractions pad, a simple note pad to jot down all those obligations and to-dos that pop up at just the wrong moment. You’ll avoid the mental tug of war between your project and everything else you need to do…and take a step in the direction of project completion.
Schedule completion days.
Whether we’re talking about self imposed creative projects, or projects that come about due to life itself (mail, email correspondence, laundry, meal planning, etc.) our creative energy and motivation gets stifled when we feel overwhelmed. If this happens to you, schedule a completion day, where your sole focus is to tie up loose ends or finish an incomplete project or two. Checking a bunch of small nagging projects off your list…or one big project will create a burst of energy that will fuel all your open projects.
Decide on the next action.
Sometimes projects come to a screeching halt because we get stuck. Quite simply, we’ve gotten the project so far, and now we don’t know what to do next. If you’re stuck, take a step away from the project, and decide on a single next action that will get the project going again. Often this next step is to gather information or seek the advice of a friend…as opposed to physically doing something on the project itself. Just pick one step to take that will help you get unstuck and your project will start flowing easily again.
Decide to let it go.
A final, perfectly acceptable option is to give yourself permission to not to finish the project at all. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to finish everything you start; the key is to decide. When you give yourself permission to not finish, one of two things will happen. The first scenario is that you feel a huge sense of relief because you know this project is no longer important to you. If that’s the case, let go of it, literally and figuratively. Donate the unused supplies, or put them back in your stash for another project. Just wrap up the remnants of the project so it is no longer lingering on your mental to-do list.
The second scenario you may face when you decide not to finish a project is regret. By giving yourself permission to let it go, you may find that you reattach to the project and come up with all sorts of compelling reasons why you really want to finish it. Your creative juices will begin flowing again and instead of an obligation your project becomes a reaffirmed choice.
Whichever strategy you choose, one from this list or one of your own, remember to tap into the power of completion, and enjoy that little endorphin rush that comes from getting things done
Aby Garvey is a professional organizer and the founder of simplify 101, inc. Her mission is to help you create time and space for what matters most in your home and life. Aby is the author of the e-book “the happy scrapper – simple solutions to get organized and get scrapping!” Visit the simplify 101 website for organizing ideas and to subscribe to Aby’s organizing email newsletter.