Anyone else have this problem?

[Clint Brickl]

Does anyone else have this problem? I finished up a couple of small projects a few weeks ago. Since then I took time to decide what to work on next. I have done that now, but getting that new project started seems to take a while. I love it in the shop, and once I get a project going, I want to be working on it as much as possible. Actually starting it seems to take me some time. Does anyone else seem to take a lot of time between finishing one project and starting the next?

[Sac]

In a word, yes. Sometimes when I am starting a new project, I feel a little overwhelmed. You know, sitting there, looking at a pile of wood and wondering where to start. And then I just jump in and start, hoping that I dont make nay mistakes. I have found that it gets easier in time though.

[Lawrence Brown]

Ha! I've already got 4 other projects started by the time I finish the first one! Seriously. I have a whiteboard with lists of lists

But yeah, inertia sets in pretty easily and can make it difficult to get started again. usually when you're in the middle of a project, you're thinking in the back of your head about what the next step is going to be, but that thinking tends to not cross projects as often. You're goal is to finish what's in front of you, and that's what you're focused on, so when that's finally done, your brain can shut off and it takes a while to get it turned on again.

I find that just puttering around the shop for a bit - cleaning up, putting tools away, etc - generally gets me back in the mood and then I can't wait to get started again. You do need to give yourself a bit of a breather to collect your thoughts and readjust to the next thing you're doing. Of course deadlines tend to make people skip the breathing part, but that's another story. If it's been a while, you might want to try just standing in the middle of the shop. Don't say "I gotta get started!" Just stand there, look around you, and just take it all in for a few minutes. After 4 or 5 minutes, I can almost guarantee it'll either send you running (in which case you really do need a break) or you'll have picked up a tool and started working.

[petersb]

I find that just puttering around the shop for a bit - cleaning up, putting tools away, etc - generally gets me back in the mood and then I can't wait to get started again. You do need to give yourself a bit of a breather to collect your thoughts and readjust to the next thing you're doing. Of course deadlines tend to make people skip the breathing part, but that's another story. If it's been a while, you might want to try just standing in the middle of the shop. Don't say "I gotta get started!" Just stand there, look around you, and just take it all in for a few minutes. After 4 or 5 minutes, I can almost guarantee it'll either send you running (in which case you really do need a break) or you'll have picked up a tool and started working

I can agree with this statemenst wholeheartedly!

I do go through looooong dry spells where I don't go in the shop at all unless I have to. I have come off of one of those looooong spells just recently. My shop wasn't really a shop, it was a rats nest! It was so overwhelmed with stuff and unorganized. I had just a small cluttered path to the back of the space with just a small hole to work in. I had to move one mess just to make another. I would have to move one pile of stuff multiple times in one session of work time. It was very frustrating. I think that this was the main reason for the looooong dry spells. It was just no fun! I have spent a lot of the summer building shelving up high off of the floor making more tool/workspace. Now it's a different feel out there and I am "on" again. I actually have a dedicated shop. I am really looking forward to the winter in the shop this year because my shop space is sooooo much more open and organized now. Keeping my shop neat and clean is a big motivator for getting started again.

[samhell]

Does anyone else have this problem? I finished up a couple of small projects a few weeks ago. Since then I took time to decide what to work on next. I have done that now, but getting that new project started seems to take a while. I love it in the shop, and once I get a project going, I want to be working on it as much as possible. Actually starting it seems to take me some time. Does anyone else seem to take a lot of time between finishing one project and starting the next?

Not really... I usually work on a pile of things at one time.

[PaulMarcel]

I have a project list on a pad of paper along with drawings for each; some more detailed than others. Usually the difficulty is deciding on which to do next, which can be based on time needed, importance, cost, etc. Guess when a large project finishes, I usually spend a night or two cleaning up the ensuing mess, though I tend to do that as I go. Lots of times when I get a project to the finish stages, I start planning and milling for the next one. Down-time, like summer... is what makes it difficult to restart. What makes it more difficult for me is that my preferred hardwood dealer is by appointment so after I have my plans in place, I sometimes end up with a couple day delay before getting a chance to get the wood. Dead time.