Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. —Christina Rossetti
I’m not sure what it is about this quote that caught my eye. Somehow, I find it soothing. I have plenty of unfinished work lying around because I am a starter* — I love starting new things. Getting them finished isn’t as easy for me as starting something new. Also, I like to have several projects going at once or I get bored.
Apparently, Rossetti was a starter, too. Kindred spirits always make me feel like my crazy way is OK.
Do you have lots of projects going at once or do you finish everything you start?
*In her book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, Gretchen Rubin talks about different preferences people have. One of her categories is Finisher/Opener (which I think of as Starter). Finishers love wrapping up a job (or using the last bit of ketchup in the bottle). Openers get a thrill of launching a new project (or opening a new bottle of dressing). Being an Opener (Starter) probably increases the chance of having unfinished projects lying around.
My downfall is jumping right in, often before I have thought things through or got things sorted. I love new materials, new ideas, new techniques. So yes, there are usually unfinished things!
That sounds just like me. The excitement of getting started can keep me from prepping carefully. But I often get away with it. I can’t think of anything that I had to completely scrap because I started too soon. You’re right, though, that may be one of the reasons I get stuck…
I put it down to t butterfly brain that likes to flit from project to project!
What a lovely image! And much more positive than labelling ourselves as ADD!