Motivation, Decisions, Procrastination

Pat,

I think indecision is an element in procrastination -- and I know exactly what you're talking about. At work I procrastinate with things I really don't want to do (I can make the tasks I DO want to do go on and on until I don't have time to do the things I don't want to do -- and then I start all over again the next day. I don't always do well with that time management thing!). But with quilting, I really do think I procrastinate because I simply cannot make up my mind what to do next or what colors I want to use or whatever. And then I make up reasons to justify my lack of accomplishment (i.e., "There were so many messages to read on the newsgroup that I just didn't have time to quilt tonight." Or, "I only have two hours until it's time to go to bed, and after all what can I accomplish in two hours?" Or, "DH is in the living room watching TV, and I just can't go back to the sewing room and leave him all alone.").

BUT, give me a deadline, and just watch me go! I can make all sorts of decisions and gets tons of stuff accomplished (and I don't really care if DH is sitting in the living room alone!). So, I think you've hit on the solution. And to help you get moving, I'll take one of those tee-shirts (you'll make a fortune if some athletic company doesn't beat you to the punch!), and you have until September 25 to get my quilt finished and to me by my birthday! I'm particularly partial to purple right now.

Louise in Iowa

Good for you, Pat! I need to get moving too, but with my mom issue and now going to Slim and Tone 3X per week, I am not only weary, I am plum tuckered out. The DH and I are going to Newport, RI for a long weekend, maybe I'll get my motivation there !

ps - I had Ginny Dolls, all the furniture to go with them and my mom made doll clothes for them. Those were the days. Come to think of it, I made bed blankies for their beds out of scraps my mom gave me. Hey, wait a minute, do you think.............

Slap your wrists, nothin'! If I don't see some progress before the Ft. Washington show, I'm gonna kick your pants, woman!!!

I know what you mean about indesciion and procrastination. I've just started researching a new project (details at a later date), and I took a break from that, went into my sewing room, looked around and couldn't decide what to work on! After going out and coming in the room several times, I finally grabbed the oldest project at hand, and worked on it. I got the binding strips sewn together for the picnic quilt. Tomorrow, I'll do some ironing of fabric to cut some HUG blocks I need to work on, and those strips.

You aren't the only one. I really need to pull my finger out and get going with DH's nightmare quilt but I find myself looking for any and all excuses not to. I just can't be bothered. I HATE, HATE, HATE that quilt. I'm going to do some on it tonight. There. That's my deadline. Yuck. I hate deadlines.

wow, thems'r big words. i'll have to go look'em up in my big book. i'll get back to ya when i have time. which book shall i use, hmmm. guess it can wait til i make up my mind, eh. jeanne*

Great slogan! And a good rule for life and quilting. But don't you sometimes just come to a point where you're not ready to take the next step? It's not indecision exactly. But those times when you just can't find the right fabric for the sashing, the right thread for the quilting, or whatever. Or you're way out on a limb of inexperience and need to acquire some skills to move forward. And sometimes if you're lucky, you can just wait a week or two and the right book or fabric appears to help you get going.

IMO, it's a good reason to have more than one project on the table at all times so you can always sew on something. Roberta in D

And for me the cup was half full: my birthday is 28 days before Christmas -- as a child, I thought this was perfect, as it gave everyone just enough time to buy me the things I didn't get for my birthday. (Did it ever work out that way? No! But I was ever the optimist! *grin*)

Howdy! Reminds me of the old Sears after-Christmas sale ad: "Almost everything you wanted but didn't get for Christmas is on sale now at Sears!" cute jingle, easy to sing "Almost everything I wanted but didn't get for b-day...."

Procrastination: most often because I don't *want* to do what needs to be done, like sitting down on payday to write checks, like putting on not-so-hole-y clothes to go to the post office and pick up the mail there, like not calling someone because I might interrupt her at work & she always puts me on hold when she calls me (which I NEVER do to ANYone!), like just not getting the dust rags out, because I'd rather be doing something else! And it's too hot to leave the a/c, even to get an oil change in my much loved Cruiser. And those flower beds the dog's been digging thru' all summer--too hot to mess w/ right now. So I procrastinate. Decisions: I'm good at making decisions; I don't suffer much from indecision, esp. about quilting. I know what I want something to look like, I love playing w/ the put-it-together process, and I love Finishing. I really don't have any UFOs in my quilting world. !! However !! I still haven't caulked the baseboards in the bathroom that I vinyl-tiled 3 yrs. ago; I'm the only one who recognizes that it needs to be done, I just haven't been motivated to get back to that project. robably next month when I peel off the old wallpaper (seafoam teal--yuck!) and slap on my new wall treatments, I'll dig out the caulking gun, too. And I really do intend to get the door sealer/tape around all 3 doors before too long; one of these days. Eventually. Just not too motivated to make a decision on which product to use, so I continue to procrastinate about that. But meantime, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I have a beautiful purple-&-gold quilt that a "client" sent to me last week that I'm enjoying quilting; I trade off to work on my very colorful quilt, one for the back living room (mine) and one quilt for the front living room (hers). And they will both be finished in the next month. Because quilting is a priority for me, like water & reading books, and other things can wait. Good luck, Pat, whatever you're working on, or if you're not working on anything at all. We still love you. Besides, you'll have more time to mail out squishies! Ragmop/Sandy

"Kathy Applebaum" wrote in message news:2pJ2b.7252$V% snipped-for-privacy@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com...

Christmas --

Lynne, I try to have a variety of activities and initerest at the same time. I',m spending a lot of time in my flower garden this time of year. I have been working on a ferw quilting activities, but also like to go to museums in the city, visit and go places with friends, decorating and re-painting the house, etc..... I think if you bring in all these other activies, you'll enjoy your quilting more when you do get to it.

Kris ( in northern Virignia, enjoying a beautiful sunny day)

Lynne, you are right about doing other things besides quilting. It relaxes the mind to indulge in some 'just for me' cooking, sunset or bird watching, or reading. I just purchased "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou", and would you believe it...on the fourth page is a Goose in the Pond quilt! And on every new chapter page, too. After I read it, I just might get busy on a GITP quilt for a new baby arriving in late Sept. 8^)Nancycog in MD

Works for me.... ;)

Well, I've always done some sort of handcraft, so if I wasn't quilting, I'd be cross stitching or needlepointing or sewing clothes. But I didn't enjoy any of those nearly as much as I enjoy quilting! Too many quilts? Possibly. But I keep having ideas for them! And I must make them all!!! Muu-ahahahaha! (demented laughter)

Yes Maam! I did 3 whirlimacallits last night - got 5 more of that pertikerler fabric to do then, only about 40 more of various fabrics to do and then gotta cut all the "joiner" bits and then the fun bit - sewin' em all together. But yes maam will report on wednesday next week maam!