How to Take Those Lingering Projects and Get Them Done

How many unfinished projects do you have looming right now?  Have you been dreaming about a project you’d like to tackle, but fear, overwhelm, or lack of time have hi-jacked your capacity to complete the task?

I’m right there with you!

At any given point, I usually have 5-10 projects I’d like to begin or am in the process of “working” on.  I’ll putter a little bit here and there, ultimately being busy, but not getting much accomplished.  I’ve always prided myself on my multitasking skills—I think it may even be a bullet point highlighted on my resume!  But I’ve come to realize that, overall, multitasking takes away from the laser focus needed to complete a task well and in a timely manner.  Author Steve Uzzell defines multitasking as “the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.”

I’ve always been, and always will be, a checklist person, but I’ve recently read a book that has drastically changed the way I choose what to work on and where it lies in my priority scheme.  What I love about the concepts discussed in this book is that they challenge you to look at your purpose–why you do what you do–and use that as your foundation for setting priorities and the actions that will achieve your goals.

The book is called The One Thing, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.  The authors suggest that “The prescription for extraordinary results is knowing what matters to you and taking daily doses of actions in alignment with it.”

The authors challenge us to take a look at our work, family, personal, and spiritual goals and pick one thing to focus on as we work toward completing the goals in each category.  “Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.”

If we don’t narrow down our project lists and calendar appointments, we become overwhelmed and stressed, which equates to things not getting done or not getting done well.

A couple of weeks ago, I became super convicted on this whole “One Thing” idea and decided it was time to complete a project I had been putting off for nearly a year.

I’m sharing this example for two reasons: 1. I think you might be able to relate and I hope it will encourage and motivate you to work on something you have been putting off; 2. My precious dogs are featured in the story!

Here’s where the story begins…

About 10 months ago, my husband and I replaced our 17 year old couch cushions (just the inside foam part) and we kept the old foam pads to be used as dog beds.  Excellent idea right?  Upcycle, recycle, reclaim—I’m all about it!

We placed the old cushions on the floor and covered them with a big blanket.  I even added a couple of our old human pillows with shams to make it extra comfortable for the dogs.  DIY at its best!  Shabby chic, easy, and good to go!

Well….you know how when dogs settle in to lay down, they circle around and around and dig into the blankets to make a comfy spot?  Well, the dogs did a little too much digging, so much so that every time they used the bed, they would rip up the foam and batting and leave a huge mess.

After the first few times it happened, I told my husband that I just needed to sew up a cushion cover with a Velcro closure, so they couldn’t get to the bare cushion.  With a glint in his eye, he nodded and said, “That’s a great idea, hon.” Let me preface this by telling you that my husband has witnessed me getting “amped” many times over the years about various DIY projects only to either half start it and leave it unfinished or just talk a lot about it and never even get to the starting point.  So the fact that he still had a glint in his eye was promising—at this point, his eyes should have looked dead and bewildered!

FLASH FORWARD 10 months (present day)…project still not done—BIG surprise!

My husband left town for a few days and I’d been reading the book I mentioned earlier, The One Thing.  Of course, I’d already started applying the concepts in the book to work-tasks and even projects on my blog, but it dawned on me that I should be applying the One Thing to my home life, too.

Yep, you guessed it!  I decided to make the dog bed cover sewing project my One Thing.  I was singularly focused and would not allow anything to get in the way of finishing this project.  The crazy thing is that it only took me a couple of hours to do the entire project—this included setting up the sewing machine, cutting the fabric, sewing, putting the cushions in their new homes, and putting the machine away.  Less than two hours!!

Look how happy the dogs are!  Believe me, my husband was even happier when he came home to discover the miraculous event that had taken place in his absence.

So, I know I’ve given you a silly example here today, but the point is that all of us have things we want or need to get done.  I think we can all agree it’s easier to get fun stuff done first and leave the more important things on the back burner.  It’s important to set goals for all areas of our lives and one of the keys to success is defining your One Thing and blocking time out of your day(s) to focus and get it done.

What do you have in your life that you need to apply some laser focus on to get it done?

Best of luck to you!  My dogs and I are cheering you on!

As always, thank you for spending time with me here today.

Jill xx

BONUS PICS (for those who can’t get enough of the cuteness.)

Dixie wasn’t about to let me cut the fabric in an orderly fashion.

I finally got the fabric cut and Dixie sat with the strips of left over fabric for a good part of the evening!

Jack enjoyed the cushions doubled up.