Unfinished Projects
One of the Top Clutter Causes (it deserves caps) is Unfinished Projects. The stuff that you have laying around and stuffed in storage because it's waiting for something else to be done on it before it can be used or discarded.
It's a major cause of clutter and a big stumbling block for many people trying to simplify their lives, so this week Bec and Tara dive in and discuss the different types of "unfinished stuff" clutter there is and how you might go about tackling it.
Show Notes:
What do we mean by 'Unfinished Projects?'
Aspirational clutter
Things you aspire to do or to have done
Possibility clutter
Things you see the possibilities for but have not committed to actualising
Unfinished tasks
household chores and cycles left incomplete
Examples:
Craft projects
House renovations or DIY projects
Mail opened but not actioned
Information - brochures/ pamphlets/ books/ guides not used but kept with the hope of using
Books/ papers/ magazines half read and then abandoned
Washing- like clothes washed but not folded
Dishes - like washed but not dried and put away
Paperwork stacked in piles but not filed
Bags of donations left in the boot of a car or piled at the front door
Why does it happen?
Procrastination
Lose motivation/ interest
It stops being fun/ relaxing
Fear or finishing/ risk of failure/ perfectionism
Don’t schedule time/ too busy - lack of planning
Distracted by other projects
Insufficient tools/ resources
How to avoid it:
When acquiring knowledge aim for getting the information ‘just in time’ - not too far ahead.
Schedule time for starting and completing tasks-
Set a limit on how many unfinished projects you can have at one time.
Let go of the guilt of parting with an unfinished project you’ve abandoned (eg craft item)
Get yourself an accountability partner or group